William & Mary Law Review’s Spring Symposium on Challenging Gun Industry Immunity
On February 6, 2026, the William & Mary Law Review partnered with the Duke Center for Firearms Law to host a Symposium titled, “Challenging Gun Industry Immunity” that explored the role of civil litigation and private law in the ongoing American gun debate.
The daylong program focused on a new generation of civil lawsuits aimed at changing the way gun makers do business by demanding that manufacturers reduce the lethality of the weapons they sell on the civilian market, rein in marketing campaigns that glorify violence, and refrain from distribution practices that facilitate illegal weapons trafficking.
Panelists included leaders from organizations such as Everytown Law and Global Action on Gun Violence, New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, and scholars in the field. Articles from the panelists will be published in Volume 68 of the William & Mary Law Review.
The Symposium opened with remarks from Symposium Editor Morgan Dickerson ’26, Editor-in-Chief Laura Lasswell ’26, and Kami Chavis, Vice Dean, R. Hugh and Nolie Haynes Professor of Law, and Director of the William & Mary Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Reform.
The first panel, “State Regulation of Gunmakers,” featured Alla Lefkowitz, Andrew Morriss, Heidi Li Feldman, Hillel Levin, and Timothy Lytton, and was moderated by Laura Killinger, Director of the Legal Practice Program and Clinical Professor of Legal Writing at William & Mary.
Discussion centered on how state legislatures are attempting to regulate the gun industry within the boundaries of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA). Panelists highlighted newly enacted firearm nuisance laws, enforcement strategies under those laws, and legal challenges to those laws.
The second panel, “Future Developments with PLCAA,” featured Abbe Gluck, Andrew Willinger, Jonathan Lowy, Linda Mullenix, Ryan Gerber, and Senator Zellnor Myrie, and was moderated by Timothy Zick, Robert & Elizabeth Scott Research Professor and John Marshall Professor of Government and Citizenship at William & Mary.
Panelists analyzed PLCAA-exception cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Smith & Wesson v. Mexico, as well as areas of future litigation.
The third panel, “Tort Law as Regulation in the Firearms Industry,” featured Catherine Sharkey, Cristina Tilley, David Kopel, and Howard Erichson, and was moderated by Allison Orr Larsen, Taylor Reveley Research Professor, Alfred Wilson & Mary I.W. Lee Professor of Law, and Director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law at William & Mary.
Participants debated whether tort law should be used to impose liability on gun manufacturers for harmful conduct, and whether the firearms industry should be treated similarly to other industries for purposes of tort liability.
Matthew Platkin, Former Attorney General of New Jersey, delivered the keynote address. He discussed his experience creating the Statewide Affirmative Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Office, the first state office dedicated to bringing civil enforcement actions against firearm companies for violations that threaten public health and safety. The office’s efforts contributed to reducing shootings in New Jersey to historic lows. His remarks will be published on William & Mary Law Review Online.
The Symposium concluded with remarks from Volume 68 Symposium Editor Rachel Spruill ’27 and Professor Darrell A. H. Miller, Co-Founder of the Duke Center for Firearms Law.
About the Law Review
Since 1957, the William & Mary Law Review has published important scholarly work and has become one of the top general interest law journals in the country. Published six times per year—in October, November, February, March, April, and May—the Review is the oldest scholarly publication at the Law School and has featured the work of noted scholars in all areas of the law. Since 2016, the Review has expanded to include an online supplement that publishes additional original scholarship. The Review also serves as one of the five credit-bearing journals at the Law School. The publication of articles in the Review is managed by law students, who join the journal at the end of their first year through the annual Joint Journal Competition held each May. Learn more.