President Bush has confirmed he will sign into law a bill passed by Congress that protects the firearms industry from massive lawsuits.
Supporters of the bill, led by the National Rifle Association (NRA), proclaimed it vital to protect the industry from being bankrupted by huge jury awards.
"Our laws should punish criminals who use guns to commit crimes, not law-abiding manufacturers of lawful products," Mr Bush said in a statement.
But opponents of the legislation have said it was proof of the gun lobby's power over the Republican-controlled legislature.
"This legislation will make the unregulated gun industry the most pampered industry in America," said Kristen Rand, director of the Violence Policy Center.
Under the measure, a half-dozen pending lawsuits by local governments against the industry would be dismissed. Anti-gun groups say some lawsuits filed by individuals could be thrown out, too.
The bill's passage was the NRA's top legislative priority and would give Mr Bush and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill a rare victory at a time when some top GOP leaders are under indictment or investigation.
With support from four new Republicans this session of Congress, the bill passed the Senate for the first time in July. House passage never was in doubt because it had 257 co-sponsors, far more than the 218 needed to pass.
The bill's authors say it still would allow civil suits against individual parties who have been found guilty of criminal wrongdoing by the courts.