- Publication Date
- August 24, 2026
- Keywords
- PLCAA, Rhetoric, Collateral Regulation
- Abstract
- Recent state firearms-industry responsibility statutes impose civil liability on firearms businesses that fail to implement “reasonable controls.” This Paper examines what “reasonable” means in that statutory context by collecting and analyzing decades of statements, briefs, and advocacy materials from the gun control organizations that drafted, promoted, and defend these laws. The record shows that these organizations have used “reasonable” to characterize measures across the full spectrum of firearm regulation, from waiting periods and training requirements to bans on handguns, semiautomatic rifles, magazines, and public carry. The paper finds that this usage does not identify a fixed or ascertainable regulatory standard; rather, “reasonable” has functioned principally as a term of approval for favored policies. That history bears directly on claims that firearms-industry “reasonable controls” statutes provide clear guidance, particularly where liability depends on a knowing statutory violation under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
- Recommended Citation
- Del Schlangen, Use of ‘Reasonable’ in Gun Control Advocacy (Firearms Rsch. Ctr., Working Paper No. 2026-8).
