Brady’s Legal Action Project’s cutting-edge product liability suits help lead to safety devices that make unintentional shootings less likely. LAP lawsuits won decisions in New Mexico and California that manufacturers could be liable for failing to include safety devices. Some manufacturers now include important safety features, and some states now require them.

Kenzo Dix was named for the Japanese characters for “health” and “creativity.” He was a 15-year-old Berkeley, CA, boy who enjoyed basketball and art. On May 29, 1994, Kenzo’s friend, 14, invited him over. His friend wanted to show Kenzo his father’s Beretta 92 Compact L handgun. He removed a clip of live rounds to replace it with an empty one. He didn’t realize there was still a bullet in the chamber when he pulled the trigger to show Kenzo. The bullet went through Kenzo’s heart and killed him.

Brady brought suit, arguing that the 9-mm Beretta pistol that killed Kenzo was defective because the chamber-loaded indicator was tiny and difficult to see. The indicator was a small red dot that rose a millimeter when a round was in the chamber. As a result, legislation was passed in California requiring clear chamber-loaded indicators and mechanisms that make guns inoperable if bullet clips are removed. These life-saving features help prevent accidental murders like the one to which Kenzo Dix fell victim.