In the capitalist society we live in, guns can be legally bought and sold by law-abiding citizens and potential criminals. It follows that when these guns are used illegally, gun manufacturers shouldn’t be blamed for selling them.

This was confirmed by the California Supreme Court on Monday. The Golden State’s highest court ruled victims and families can’t sue gun manufacturers when the products are used illegally.

The ruling stemmed from a 1993 incident when Navegar Inc., a TEC-DC9 semiautomatic weapon manufacturer, was sued for manufacturing the gun used by a mentally disturbed man in a shooting rampage.

Gian Luigi Ferri opened fire in a San Francisco law office, killing eight people and wounding six before killing himself.

The plaintiffs claimed Navegar was responsible for what happened because it marketed the weapon to appeal to criminals. Attorneys argued the company should have known it would be used in a massacre.

The survivors of the massacre are among many who have blamed gun manufacturers for negligence, so the court’s 5-1 decision was an important victory for all weapons manufacturers.

Defenders of gun-makers like Navegar say there is no evidence of a connection between the manufacturer’s legal activities and individuals who use guns for criminal activity.

Most gun manufacturers sell their product hoping law-abiding citizens who have the constitutional right to own a gun will use their product for such purposes as self-defense and hunting. They are careful not to sell to minors and criminals and do their best to make sure these guns don’t fall in the wrong hands.

We can’t blame gun manufacturers for any illegal activities when they are not negligent in any way. They can’t be mentioned in the same category as cigarette manufacturers, who deliberately advocated the use of cigarettes to minors. They are simply selling a product to be bought by a consumer, in the manner of many legitimate businesses.

Whether selling guns is right isn’t really the issue because the gun manufacturers have the right to decide for themselves whether they should sell their product.

If people want someone to blame for the misuse of guns, they should look at existing gun laws. If people don’t want lunatics roaming around the streets shooting semiautomatic rifles, they should lobby to make stricter laws against those kinds of weapons.

Even if Navegar is eventually held responsible for the killer’s actions, people will still find ways to wreak havoc on innocent individuals. People are going to get guns if and when they want to.

The tragedy of the shooting is the price we have to pay for giving law-abiding citizens easy access to guns.

People should be held responsible for their own actions and gun manufacturers should not be held liable for criminal behavior.