Two years ago, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg filed unprecedented lawsuits against gun stores that he said are responsible for weapons they sold that ended up being used in crimes in his city.
One of the targets of Bloomberg’s federal lawsuit is Smyrna’s Adventure Outdoors, owned by Jay Wallace, and that trial is set to unfold in NYC next Tuesday. CL’s John Sugg wrote a cover story on the issue last July.
Most of the gun shops have settled out of court. But Wallace and two others have challenged Bloomberg. The upcoming trial is already drawing coverage in the New York Times, which played the story as Wallace, the country bumpkin, against the slick big-city mayor.
As for Mr. Wallace, his defense was summed up on Wednesday by his lawyer, Mr. [John] Renzulli, who asked rhetorically, “Is Budweiser liable if someone drives drunk?”
The paper also noted that Wallace doesn’t hold his contempt for Bloomberg against the rest of the city.
He and his wife arrived in Brooklyn this week and have rented an apartment there for the duration of the trial. There have been dinners on the town and thoughts of seeing “Jersey Boys.” While Mr. Wallace clearly has his quarrels with the mayor, they do not seem to have tainted his image of the city at large.
“I’ve only had a little exposure to New Yorkers,” he said as he left court. “But from what I’ve seen so far, I kind of like them.”
Well, my … isn’t he so … Southern!
The cases against Wallace and other gunshop owners raise serious issues that could have widespread implications. Can they be held accountable for what criminals do with their guns?
If Bloomberg wins the suit, the city of New York would be able to oversee transactions at Adventure Outdoors through a court-appointed special master.
Wallace has also filed a libel suit against Bloomberg. His lawyer in that case is none other than Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr.
(Photo of Jay Wallace by Joeff Davis)
