Both Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer and St. Louis Mayor Clarence Harmon filed lawsuits against the gun industry during the week of April 26.

The City of Detroit and surrounding Wayne County, Michigan filed separate but similar suits against 24 gun manufacturers and 11 local gun dealers on April 26. The two suits will most likely be consolidated into, "one very convincing case against the gun industry that profits from assaults, maimings and killings on the streets of our city and county," Mayor Archer said.

The lawsuits came after an undercover sting operation conducted by the Wayne County Sheriff's office, Wayne County Prosecutor's office, and Wayne County Airport police. These agencies teamed to buy weapons from 10 different gun dealers, of which nine sold guns under illegal straw purchases.

The City's and County's lawsuits charge that gun manufacturers, distributors and retailers have created a system that builds sales through, "a calculated strategy of willful blindness to the regular, ongoing sale of handguns and other firearms in the illegitimate market."

The city and county estimate that their annual combined costs from gun violence exceed $80 million. In 1997 and 1998, more than 100 youths were killed by guns in Wayne County, an average of one per week.

On April 30, St. Louis Mayor Clarence Harmon announced his lawsuit against the gun industry, naming 30 respondents including firearms manufacturers, trade associations and area gun shops.

The St. Louis suit is based on public nuisance, negligence, unjust enrichment and charges that the gun manufacturers, acting in concert, have failed to regulate sales and implement safety features to prevent the use of guns by children and other unauthorized users.

Mayor Harmon announced the suit during his State of the City stating, "The gun makers are aware that their products are used frequently in crime and accidental killings. Not only does the gun industry refuse to implement safety features and warnings that would drastically reduce gun violence... not only do they demonstrate their utter lack of concern about how their product is distributed by refusing to monitor their distributors, but they actively lobby against these [safety] precautions."

Mayor Harmon is a Vice Chair of the Conference's Gun Violence Task Force, and hosted a major meeting with top gun industry executives in St. Louis last summer in which an attempt was made to reach consensus on gun safety measures -- with every proposal made by the mayors rejected by the industry.

In filing the suits, these cities and counties join New Orleans, Chicago, Miami-Dade County, Bridgeport, Atlanta and Cleveland who have previously filed claims against the gun industry. Additional cities are expected to take similar actions in the coming weeks.