2020 FactCheck: on Gun Control

Bernie Sanders: 2005: Allow suing gun manufacturers for negligence

Biden said, "The biggest mistake that Sen. Sanders made, he voted to give the gun manufacturers a loophole that does not allow them to be sued for the crimes they have created."

Sanders voted in favor of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005, which largely protects licensed manufacturers & firearms dealers from civil lawsuits over the misuse of guns or ammunition. But the legislation included six exceptions where civil suits could still be brought. The exceptions include cases in which a firearm seller acted with negligence, cases involving the transfer of a firearm with the knowledge that it would be used to commit a crime, and cases of sales in violation of state or federal law.

A decade later, Sanders switched positions and signed on as a cosponsor of an unsuccessful bill that sought to repeal the law he helped enact.

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