VPC

The Endgame

Any Settlement of Firearms Litigation Must Address Three Specific Areas of Gun Industry Conduct and Include a Strict Enforcement Mechanism

IV. Effective Enforcement Mechanisms

The key to the success of any settlement will be the continuing existence of an effective and vigorous federal enforcement mechanism. Ideally, the entire industry would be subject to federal product health and safety oversight by the Department of the Treasury, the agency most familiar with the firearms industry and its products and practices. Such an approach is embodied in the "Firearms Safety and Consumer Protection Act" ( H.R. 920 and S. 534). Short of federal jurisdiction, enforcement must be undertaken by a monitor independent of the gun industry and controlled by a government authority. In any case, supervision must move beyond mere pro forma licensing and paper regulation of industry members to substantive review of products.

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The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.

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