Legal Beat

The parents of a 13-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed by a friend have asked the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of a 2005 gun liability law.

Congress passed the law in 2005 to limit the legal liability of firearms makers and dealers. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the law barred the boy's parents from suing the gun manufacturer, Beretta U.S.A. Corp., for not equipping the gun not to fire when its magazine was removed.

The petitioners, represented by the Center for Constitutional Litigation and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, are arguing that the Illinois court construed the federal law too narrowly, as well as the Tenth Amendment's reservation of powers to the states or the people.