Putting the desires of the National Rifle Association ahead of national defense, the U.S. Senate on Tuesday pushed debate on this year’s defense appropriations bill until the fall so gun makers and dealers could get a shot at immunity from lawsuits.

Republican leaders have built a cottage industry out of bashing judges and the judicial system. Their disdain is obvious by the sheer number of bills that contain language that would protect this industry or that campaign contributor from facing allegations of wrongdoing in civil court.

The latest example is a bill that would shield gun manufacturers and dealers from liability stemming from gun crimes. While we are sympathetic to the idea that the makers of a legal product shouldn’t be held liable for its misuse, the evidence is clear that makers and sellers often operate with a devil-may-care attitude toward the sale of guns.

No politician wants to end up in the NRA’s sights. It is a powerful and well-funded interest group that can end political careers, especially in rural areas. That’s why there’s bipartisan support for the bill. But the demand to offer immunity to gun dealers is too much.

Most people probably don’t remember Bull’s Eye Shooter Supply, but residents of Washington, D.C., and its suburbs can’t forget it. The gun shop was found negligent for its role in supplying the Bushmaster rifle to snipers Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad, the terrorists who held the city hostage while randomly murdering 10 innocent people in 2002. If this bill had been the law of the land, Bull’s Eye would have escaped civil punishment.

There’s no good reason to offer such broad protection to the gun industry. The issue isn’t about restricting guns or the Second Amendment. It’s about holding wrongdoers liable for their actions. Blanket immunity flies in the face of justice and denies the victims of crime the ability to seek redress in court.