On February 6, the Center co-hosted a symposium at the William & Mary Law School on the topic of Challenging Gun Industry Immunity—in partnership with the William & Mary Law Review.
The symposium brought together top scholars of tort law, complex litigation, and firearms law to examine the future of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) and discuss state efforts to hold the firearms industry accountable via tort law and other means.
The conference was well-attended by students, scholars, and practitioners. Three scholarly panels addressed PLCAA, mass tort litigation, and state enforcement efforts. We also welcomed former Attorney General for the state of New Jersey, Matthew Platkin, our keynote speaker who discussed New Jersey’s efforts to reduce gun violence in the state of New Jersey by policing arms dealers who violate state law.
The symposium essays will be published in a special, dedicated volume of the law journal later this year. Thank you to our partners at the W&M Law Review and to everyone who helped make the event a success!
- Panel 1 – State Regulation of Gunmakers
Alla Lefkowitz (Everytown for Gun Safety), Andrew Morriss (Texas A&M), Heidi Li Feldman (Georgetown), Hillel Levin (Georgia), and Timothy Lytton (Georgia State)
- Panel 2 – Future Developments with PLCAA
Abbe Gluck (Yale), Andrew Willinger (Georgia State), Jonathan Lowy (Global Action on Gun Violence), Linda Mullenix (UT Austin), Ryan Gerber (Brooklyn Law), and Sen. Zellnor Myrie (NY State Senator)
- Panel 3 – Tort Law as Regulation in the Firearms Industry
Catherine Sharkey (NYU), Cristina Tilley (Iowa), David Kopel (Independence Institute & Denver University), and Howard Erichson (Fordham)
