Armslist Wins Wisconsin Court Battle

Online gun classified ad site Armslist won a victory Tuesday in a Milwaukee County court when a lawsuit brought by the family of a murdered woman was dismissed. The woman’s estranged husband had purchased a handgun in a private transaction arranged through the site. 

An attorney argued that Congress intended to shield businesses like Armslist from such lawsuits through the federal Communications Decency Act. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro agreed and ruled that Armslist was protected against negligence and other claims. 

“Gun-control advocates continue to try to use court cases to pressure the gun industry to make safety reforms,” UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler told Guns.com. “Yet the courts have not been a friendly venue for their cases. While the immunity for gun makers and dealers in the PLCAA is well known, other laws can have a similar effect. In this case, it was the Communications Decency Act, which provides a level of immunity for websites like Armslist.”