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The ad, which played prominently on Page 3 of the newspaper, was the latest salvo in a public relations battle between Ganim and gun manufacturers. Bridgeport is one of at least a half dozen cities in the US who have filed lawsuits against gun manufacturers to hold them accountable for gun violence. Fairfield based Sturm, Ruger, the largest US firearms manufacturer, is one of more than two dozen defendants named in Bridgeport's lawsuit. For months, the company has fought publicly with Ganim, who has been harshly critical of gunmakers, claiming they purposely flood urban markets with guns, knowing they will be used in crimes. In its ad, entitled "An Open Letter to the Mayor of Bridgeport," Sturm, Ruger chastises Ganim for claiming he has tried to meet with gun manufacturers to talk about making handguns safer. The ad, which Sturm, Ruger said cost $5,000, says Ganim turned down two separate offers from the company to meet before the lawsuit was filed. The company also defends its safety initiatives and denies engaging in the irresponsible marketing practices cited in the lawsuit. "We again invite you talk about how we can all work together against our mutual adversaries, the violent criminals who terrorize our cities and those few irresponsible gun owners who give all others a bad name," reads the ad. Ganim dismissed the ad's claims, saying the company had not extended any clear invitation for prelitigation discussions, only "public relations." "Their intimidation or spending thousands of dollars on full-page ads is not going to make this lawsuit go away," he said. "The only thing that's going to make these lawsuits go away is when they agree to make their products safe and stop intentionally marketing them to people to use them in crimes," he added. Stephen Sanetti, vice president and general counsel for Sturm, Ruger, called the lawsuit "dishonest" and "a waste of taxpayer money." "We've been working all our lives to make handguns safe. We don't need him to sue us to get us to do that," he said. In the ad, the company cites its practice, beginning in 1987, of shipping its pistols and revolvers in a lock box with a padlock. The company said it has supported instantaneous point-of-sale background checks, increased scrutiny of retail firearms sales and enforcement of tough sentences for the criminal or negligent misuse of firearms. Bridgeport's lawsuit seeks more than $100 million to compensate the city for alleged damages caused by the weapons, including decreased property values, the exodus of businesses, the costs of additional police protection and increased health care costs for treating gunshot victims. The suit also calls on gun manufacturers to install safety devices to prevent accidental shootings and the unauthorized use of guns. Ganim said he issued another invitation to Sturm, Ruger on Monday, after the ad ran, to meet with him in his office on March 16 to discuss the issues raised in the lawsuit. Sanetti said he will ask the firm's lawyers whether company representatives may attend the meeting, but said it may be difficult for the company now that it is a defendant in the lawsuit. "He should have done that before he filed the lawsuit," said Sanetti. "If he drops the lawsuit, we'll be in his office tomorrow morning." Ganim has also invited actor Charlton Heston, head of the National Rifle Association, to visit Bridgeport to discuss the lawsuit. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT |
Newspaper Ads The Latest Weapon in a Fight Between Lawmakers and Gun Manufacturers