Gun control through the back door ...
Jurors in Wisconsin ruled a gun shop must pay $6 million to two Milwaukee police officers who were shot by firearms sold at the store – a historic decision that legal analysts say will have a ripple effect on Second Amendment rights around the nation.
As one legal mind said on Fox & Friends on Wednesday: "For the first time, a retailer is being held responsible for a gun-related crime."
The ruling was against Badger Guns, and came after two officers, Bryan Norberg and Graham Kunisch, the latter of whom is nonw retired, were shot in the face after stopping a suspect from riding a bike on the sidewalk in 2009. The suspect, Julius Burton, has since been sentenced to serve 80 years in prison.
But further investigation revealed he bought the gun about a month before the shooting for $40 from another man names Jacob Collins. Collins, who's since served two years in prison, had purchased the firearm at Badger Guns, Fox News reported.
Norberg was wounded in his cheek and shoulder, and struggles to perform his police officer duties, Fox said. Kunisch, who was shot several times, actually lost one eye and part of his brain and was forced into early retirement.
The officers sued, alleging Badger Guns failed to take necessary precautions in preventing straw purchases – or, those made by legal buyers on behalf of those who aren't legally allowed to own or possess firearms.
Their suit in part relied on statistics that showed Badger Guns' firearms have been traced to more than 500 crime scenes, making it "the No. 1 crime gun dealer in America," according to court documents, Fox News reported.
Attorneys for the gun shop owner, Adam Allan, said their client couldn't legally be held responsible for crimes committed by those who properly purchased firearms. But jurors found otherwise.
In their ruling, they ordered the shop to pay Norberg $1.5 million and Kunisch $3.6 million, as well as $730,000 in punitive fees for both.
Jurors in Wisconsin ruled a gun shop must pay $6 million to two Milwaukee police officers who were shot by firearms sold at the store – a historic decision that legal analysts say will have a ripple effect on Second Amendment rights around the nation.
As one legal mind said on Fox & Friends on Wednesday: "For the first time, a retailer is being held responsible for a gun-related crime."
The ruling was against Badger Guns, and came after two officers, Bryan Norberg and Graham Kunisch, the latter of whom is nonw retired, were shot in the face after stopping a suspect from riding a bike on the sidewalk in 2009. The suspect, Julius Burton, has since been sentenced to serve 80 years in prison.
But further investigation revealed he bought the gun about a month before the shooting for $40 from another man names Jacob Collins. Collins, who's since served two years in prison, had purchased the firearm at Badger Guns, Fox News reported.
Norberg was wounded in his cheek and shoulder, and struggles to perform his police officer duties, Fox said. Kunisch, who was shot several times, actually lost one eye and part of his brain and was forced into early retirement.
The officers sued, alleging Badger Guns failed to take necessary precautions in preventing straw purchases – or, those made by legal buyers on behalf of those who aren't legally allowed to own or possess firearms.
Their suit in part relied on statistics that showed Badger Guns' firearms have been traced to more than 500 crime scenes, making it "the No. 1 crime gun dealer in America," according to court documents, Fox News reported.
Attorneys for the gun shop owner, Adam Allan, said their client couldn't legally be held responsible for crimes committed by those who properly purchased firearms. But jurors found otherwise.
In their ruling, they ordered the shop to pay Norberg $1.5 million and Kunisch $3.6 million, as well as $730,000 in punitive fees for both.
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