Congress Approves Gun Shield Law

Bill's Impact Will Include Dismissal Of 20 Lawsuits Against Gunmakers

(CBS/AP)  Congress gave the gun lobby its top legislative priority Thursday, passing a bill that would protect the firearms industry from massive lawsuits brought by crime victims.

President Bush wasted no time commending the House for passing the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," CBS News correspondent Peter Maer reports.

In a written statement, Mr. Bush said, "Our laws should punish criminals who use guns to commit crimes, not law-abiding manufacturers of lawful products." He said he looks forward to signing the bill into law.

The House voted 283-144 in favor of the bill after supporters, led by the National Rifle Association, proclaimed it vital to protect the industry from being bankrupted by huge jury awards. Opponents, waging a tough battle against growing public support for the legislation, called it proof of the gun lobby's power over the Republican-controlled Congress.

"This legislation will make the unregulated gun industry the most pampered industry in America," said Kristen Rand, director of the Violence Policy Center.

This has been a top priority of the NRA for years, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss, but it was only after the addition of new Republican seats in the Senate in the last election that they gained enough support to pass it.

Under the measure, as many as 20 pending lawsuits by local governments against the industry would be dismissed.

Passage of the bill gives Mr. Bush and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill a rare victory at a time when some top GOP leaders are under indictment or investigation.

"Lawsuits seeking to hold the firearms industry responsible for the criminal and unlawful use of its products are brazen attempts to accomplish through litigation what has not been achieved by legislation and the democratic process," House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., told his colleagues.

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, did not vote. He is in Texas in connection with his indictment in an alleged scheme to violate state election law.

Propelled by GOP election gains and the incidents of lawlessness associated with the passing of Hurricane Katrina, support for the bill has grown since a similar measure passed the House last year and was killed in the Senate.

Horrific images of people without the protection of public safety in New Orleans made a particular impression on viewers who had never before felt unsafe, according to the gun lobby.

"Americans saw a complete collapse of the government's ability to protect them," said Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president.