Lights and beacons

A thoroughly tortured legal theory was restored to its proper perspective last week in a New York courtroom. Here's hoping this return to tangible principle forever trumps the legally unsustainable and morally indefensible premise of ''collective guilt.''

The New York Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Thursday that gun manufacturers can be held liable neither for their marketing or sales techniques, nor for the actions of retail gun buyers or those who steal guns. The manufacturers' actions do not meet the legal requirements of ''negligent entrustment,'' the seven-judge tribunal found.

New York's highest court effectively disarmed a class-action lawsuit that sought to make 25 gun makers pay damages for six murders and a wounding. The ruling is expected to be the death knell for more than two dozen similar cases in cities nationwide.

The bottom line is that a company - be it a gun maker or an automobile manufacturer - cannot be held responsible for the criminal acts of others in using its products. That is, firearms and motor vehicle manufactures are responsible only if their products are defective .

The right to bear arms is a constitutional absolute. Rights, of course, carry with them responsibilities. Last week's appellate court ruling is the latest affirmation that we prosecute the irresponsible with the cleansing light of our laws - not with the beacon of our liberties.