Gun legislation moves through House committee

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Gun legislation moves through House committee RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A state House committee rejected an attempt Thursday to put new restrictions on gun shows while agreeing to limit lawsuits by local governments against gun manufacturers.The legislation would block cities, towns and counties from suing gun makers regarding the lawful design, marketing, manufacture, distribution, sale or transfer of firearms or ammunition.The bill, which now moves to the full House for consideration, follows several lawsuits filed by U.S. cities claiming that gun makers marketing techniques have increased gun violence. All the lawsuits have been unsuccessful.Several members of the Million Moms March group told members of the House Finance Committee that lawmakers shouldn't block cities access to the courts."We do believe that municipalities should have the right to sue gun manufacturers and gun dealers to recoup the cost of gun violence," said Melissa McCullough of Orange County.But most of the debate focused on the issue of gun shows.The shows have been the subject of intense national debate because some vendors, who either sell only a few guns or only sell antique firearms, aren't federally licensed and therefore not required to conduct background checks on their customers.The debate has gotten louder since the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado. A friend of the gunmen said she bought three of the four guns used in the shootings at a gun show and never was subjected to a background check.The provision considered Thursday, which failed in a 15-7 vote, would have required gun show promoters to pay $500 for a permit from a local sheriff's department before putting on an event.Eddie Caldwell, a lobbyist for the N.C. Sheriff's Association, said the permitting process will allow sheriff's to better police the event and prevent any illegal sales."What I hear from the sheriffs is that most of the transaction that take place inside the gun shows are conducted legally, but most of those conducted outside are not conducted legally," he said.But Rep. Pryor Gibson, D-Montgomery, said attempts to put restrictions on gun shows could drive more sales underground."Please let's not create a situation where we think we are doing the right thing but we are making it worse," Gibson said.Nicole Palya, a spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association, said there is little evidence that abuses at gun shows are widespread."Obviously, there is some disagreement as to whether there is a gun-show loophole," she said.But Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, who has received an "F-" grade on voter guides put out by the NRA, said the vote showed that the organization is opposed to even modest measures designed to ensure guns sales take place legally."I'm proud to have an F-minus and fight an organization that refuses to compromise," Luebke said. "This Legislature is all about compromise."A Senate version of the gun lawsuit restrictions approved earlier this year did include the gun-show permit provisions.The House, meanwhile, has already approved another version of the legislation without the gun-show provisions.The differences could set the stage for a fight between House and Senate negotiations in the waning days of the legislative session. http://www.newsindex.com/cgi-bin/resulttick.cgi?http://www.newsobserver.com/ncwire/news/Story/826380p-817589c.html