mr. speaker , i yield myself the balance of my time .  mr. speaker , a gun by its very nature must be dangerous .  so may an automobile or a knife , or a piece of machinery that does not work properly .  there are a lot of dangerous things that we as human beings utilize ; and if they work properly , they can be utilized for something that is good and something that is lawful .  tort law , however , rests upon a foundation of individual responsibility , in which the product may not be defined as defective unless there is something wrong with the product , rather than with the product 's user .  and what this bill attempts to do is to get tort law back to its original moorings where the manufacturer of the product that is not defective in its nature is not legally liable for the criminal misuse of that product by its user .  that is what the issue is before the house today in consideration of s. 397 .  now , s. 397 while preventing frivolous and abusive lawsuits also ensures that bad actors can continue to be sued .  the bill allows the following types of lawsuits to be filed : first , an action against a person who transfers a firearm or ammunition knowing that it will be used to commit a crime of violence or drug-trafficking crime or a comparable or identical state felony law ; second , an action brought against the seller for negligent entrustment or negligence , per se ; third , actions in which a manufacturer or seller of a qualified product violates a state or federal statute applicable to the sales or marketing when such violation was the proximate cause of the harm for which the relief is sought .  and this exception would specifically allow lawsuits against firearms dealers such as the dealer whose firearm ended up in the hands of the d.c .  snipers and those who fail to maintain the required inventory lists necessary to ensure they are alerted to any firearms theft ; fourth , actions for breach of contact or warranty in connection with the purchase of a firearm or ammunition , and actions for damages resulting directly from a defect in design or manufacture of a firearm or ammunition .  this is a carefully crafted bill .  it provides immunity for people who have not done anything wrong , even thought their products may be used in a criminal nature ; but it does allow lawsuits to proceed against the bad actors .  it ought to be passed .  i am sure it will be passed , and finally we can lay this issue to rest after 6 years of debate .  i urge the members to support this legislation , to send it to the president for his signature , and then we can move on .  