Paterson joins cities in suing gun makers
Wednesday, January 5, 2000

By JUSTO BAUTISTA
Staff Writer

PATERSON — Hoping to stem the violence caused by handguns, City Council members voted Tuesday to join other cities who are suing gun manufacturers over easy access to the weapons.

“Tomorrow I’ll have to go to a young man’s funeral,” said Councilwoman Vera Ames, explaining why she voted for a resolution to join the class action suit. The funeral is for Anthony King, 32, a city resident shot to death Thursday on East Main Street. Another city man, Quashic Colvin, 22, has been charged with King’s murder.

“There has been tragedy in my community with guns. I hope the gunplay stops,” Ames said.

Council members voted 5-1 to hire the law firm of Berger & Montague, which is suing gun manufacturers.

The firm will work on a contingency fee basis, and will receive one-third of all money recovered by trial or settlement. If the litigation fails, the city will not have to pay any fees or costs.

Recently, about 30 cities and counties have brought suits against more than two dozen gun manufacturers. Some have been dismissed, but others, such as those brought by Chicago and Atlanta, have been allowed to proceed.

Councilman Donald Hayden voted for the resolution but was not optimistic about the success of such lawsuits. Hayden said that even President Clinton endorsed such action to reduce easy access to handguns, but then changed his mind in favor of persuading manufacturers to make so-called smart guns, which can be fired only by their owners.

Councilman Thomas C. Rooney, who voted against the resolution, said lawsuits would not reduce the “gun flow in Paterson,” and the only people who might benefit are the lawyers.

Rooney said pens, cars, knives, hammers, and axes also kill people and asked, “Do we sue all manufacturers of cars, knives, two-by-fours, and the rest?”

But Councilman Jeffery Jones said adopting the resolution would make an emphatic statement. “This is the community saying we’re tired of guns,” said Jones. “Like Councilwoman Ames said, I don’t want to go to another funeral.”

Copyright ? 2000 Bergen Record Corp.