George Soros-backed organization is now engaged in anti-gun lobbying

According to a report from the Washington Free Beacon, billionaire liberal activist George Soros — through his Open Society Policy Center — is now actively lobbying on legislation that would have the effect of targeting gun manufacturers.

What are the details?

In 2005, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which protects firearms manufacturers from lawsuits brought by victims of the criminal acts of some gun users. The legislation was passed in response to a growing effort on the part of anti-gun activists to litigate the gun industry out of business by encouraging shooting victims to sue gun manufacturers for the activities of criminals.

The law does not shield gun manufacturers from all liability. Gun manufacturers can still be sued for defective manufacturing or design issues. However, it does "prohibit causes of action against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and importers of firearms or ammunition products, and their trade associations, for the harm solely caused by the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearm products or ammunition products by others when the product functioned as designed and intended."

According to the Free Beacon, Soros' Open Society Policy Center spent $2.6 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2019 on a variety of issues, including "a bill to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act." The disclosure did not reveal what portion of the $2.6 million total was allocated to this specific issue.

The bill passed both houses of Congress with broad bipartisan support in 2005, passing the House by a vote of 283-144 and the Senate by a vote of 65-31. However, Hillary Clinton promised to support repeal of the law during the 2016 campaign, and even Sen. Bernie Sanders, who voted for the law in 2005, said that he would support a partial repeal of the bill.

According to the Trace, every single major Democratic candidate for president in 2020 now supports repealing the bill, including Biden, who voted against the original bill, and Sanders.

What else?

According to the Open Society Policy Center's lobbying disclosure, the organization also engaged in lobbying efforts related to:

• S.544, A bill to require the director of National Intelligence to submit to Congress a report on the death of Jamal Khashoggi, and for other purposes
• S.J.Res.7, A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress
• H.R.1004, Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act
• H.R.1274, Repeal of the Authorization for Use of Military Force
• H.R.2037, Saudi Arabia Human Rights and Accountability Act of 2019
• Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019
• State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act, 2019
• National Defense Authorization Act, 2019