On July 31, the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed a lawsuit supported by the Brady Campaign against the online gun classifieds website, Armslist, LLC.
Armslist is a website that provides firearm owners and prospective buyers with a venue to advertise firearms in a manner similar to newspaper classified ads. Armslist otherwise takes no part in any firearm transaction and has a specific disclaimer on its website that all firearm sales must comply with applicable state and federal laws. Users must agree to this policy before using the site.
Alex Vesely, the plaintiff in the case, sued on behalf of his sister, who was killed with a firearm that had been advertised for sale on Armslist. The Brady Campaign, on behalf of Vesely, asked the court to abandon traditional rules and hold Armslist liable for the criminal actions of the murderer. In essence, the Brady Campaign argued that a special rule should apply to Armslist because the advertisements on its website are for firearms, and it should therefore be treated differently than other online classifieds.
Fortunately, the court rejected Brady’s argument and applied traditional liability rules.
Specifically, it did “not accept as true Plaintiff’s mere conclusion that [Armslist] encourages its users to circumvent existing gun laws by enabling prospective purchasers to search for and find sellers in any state,” as interstate transactions may lawfully be conducted through federally licensed dealers. While that may or may not end this case, it surely won’t end the Brady Center’s legal campaign to end lawful advertising of firearms.
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