Committee reviews amendment to limit product‑liability suits over optional firearm features; SIG Sauer urges change

Senators heard an amendment intended to curb product‑liability litigation over optional safety features on firearms, a measure presented by Senator Bill Gannon with testimony from Bobby Cox of SIG Sauer.

“Just because they don't have those optional features does not make the gun ... defective,” Bobby Cox, vice president of government affairs for SIG Sauer, told the committee while describing a recent wave of litigation the company said targets firearms made in New Hampshire.

The amendment would narrow the circumstances under which a manufacturer could be found liable in tort on a design‑defect theory for a firearm that lacks certain optional features — such as external manual safeties, loaded‑chamber indicators or magazine disconnects — when those features are marketed as optional by manufacturers.

Why it matters: SIG Sauer and other supporters told the committee that out‑of‑state attorneys have filed multiple cases alleging that popular pistols are defective because they lack optional features, and that those suits in New Hampshire courts are imposing legal costs and forum shopping. SIG’s counsel said the company has voluntarily offered “upgrades” but maintains the base design meets industry standards.

Committee members pressed on legal reach and fairness. A senator asked whether the amendment would bar pending lawsuits or apply only prospectively. The sponsor and supporters said the intent is to prevent future forum shopping; they acknowledged pending cases may not be subject to a retroactive bar. Another senator asked whether dealers and other commercial sellers should be included in any limitation on liability; a questioner suggested the draft could be broadened to apply to licensed dealers as well as manufacturers.

Opponents said the change could limit remedies for injured people and risk insulating defective products. Senators also noted some product‑safety claims involve malfunctions or inadvertent discharges that are not about optional features and would remain actionable, the sponsor said.

No committee vote is shown in the hearing transcript. The amendment drew extended questioning from multiple senators and the company, and the committee indicated it may request drafting clarifications and counsel input before further action.