In the great Gary gun case of 1999, by which the city attempts to hold manufacturers and sellers liable for the misuse of weapons, I think the best opinion was rendered by Lake Superior Court Judge James Richards, who dismissed the Gary case in 2001, saying the city "cannot fault businesses beyond its jurisdiction for the crimes committed by others." But a judge has resuscitated the case, ruling that a federal law aimed at shielding the manufacturers and dealers from liability is unconstitutional. There are a lot of issues at stake, including whether such a law can be made retroactive and whether an entire business enterprise can be shielded from the kind of lawsuits everybody else must face.
But the bedrock issue seems pretty easy to grasp: Either people are responsible for their actions, or they aren't. Certainly, as Gary alleges, "manufacturers and gun dealers sold handguns they knew would end up in the hands of criminals." Car makers and dealers also know some of their vehicles will end up in the hands of people who drive them with reckless abandon, and makers and sellers of alcohol know some of it will be consumed by spouse beaters. Anything can be misused, and if we make liability or such misuse a standard legal principle, the list of lawsuits will get very long, and the number of people willing to manufacture and provide anything will get very small.
