While responsible business practices seem a reasonable requirement, the federal government is close to all but eliminating liability for the gun industry in deaths and injuries.

The key bill in the package would eliminate "joint and several" liability, which usually insures that a successful plaintiff receives a full damage award, even if it is paid by only one of several defendants.

So a bill was introduced to eliminate joint and several liability for any date before 1986.

If passed by the Assembly later this month, it would go to Governor Kean, who supports eliminating joint and several liability, and join the other laws that constitute a piecemeal attack on the current policy.

It would also eliminate "joint and several" liability for nonmonetary losses - which tags defendants who are only partially responsible for up to 100 percent of the damages if their codefendants are bankrupt.

The successful assertion of this defense potentially eliminates any and all liability on the part of that Seller.

The new law will force suspects accused of sticking another person with a hypodermic needle to submit to an AIDS test and will eliminate liability for officers who assist at the scene of an accident or emergency.

It also generally eliminated the "joint and several" liability of accountants, which made their deeper pockets available to compensate investors, particularly when companies had little or no money to satisfy damage claims.

In a 2002 memo, Mr. Bybee wrote: "Certain justification defenses might be available that would potentially eliminate criminal liability.

A related article contends that a $300 billion settlement could improve tobacco companies' finances by cutting legal fees and eliminating future liability.