# Legal matters involving slingshots



## Fubared (Jan 30, 2015)

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place for this topic but I'm a newbie, so I thought should start here.

Ok, so I'm a little bit of a home wood worker and I'd like to make and sell my own slingshots to a wide audience on a small business level. But I'm afraid what will happen if someone hurts themselves or others with my slingshot. I'm going to talk to a lawyer about it, I just need to figure out what kind, and if they have free consultations, heh. I just want to hear your opinions, please.

Have any of you ever sold slingshots as a small side business before? And what did you do to protect yourself?

Do you know someone that does sell slingshots as a small business or hobby?

Do you think it could come back to me somehow? (It is the USA and crazier lawsuits have happened)

Has anyone dealt with this before or heard stories?

I really need to talk to someone with experience, if you folks could help me find them I'd be very very grateful.

Thanks


----------



## Tentacle Toast (Jan 17, 2013)

Just make em' agree to a disclaimer that they assume all responsibility in the event of yadayadayada, & you should be covered...that seems to be the most evident thing that guys do that I see from a consumer's pov...


----------



## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum.


----------



## Blade (Jun 5, 2014)

I think your worrying way too much about it.


----------



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Contact some of the vendors here on the forum and see what they have to say.

Cheers .... Charles


----------



## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

all the vendors on here are small business, maybe pick their brains ? far as im concerned, theres a risk with everything one does once they wake up and get about their day. its just a matter if its going to be an accident or misuse of the slingshot. youre worried to much about it, so for now id have to say- dont do it. you'll burn your mind out.


----------



## Fubared (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks very much guys. I'll try to track down some vendors around here.

Is there anyone who's a larger operation than the others, or someone specific you think I should approach?

And I really wish I could have uploaded my profile pic, but its too large and ugh, computers!


----------



## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Take a look at the Vendor's forum

http://slingshotforum.com/forum/36-site-vendors-forum/

and the Manufacturer's forum.

http://slingshotforum.com/forum/115-manufacturers-forums/

They should be pretty easy to track down.


----------



## Phoul Mouth (Jan 6, 2015)

Fubared said:


> Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place for this topic but I'm a newbie, so I thought should start here.
> 
> Ok, so I'm a little bit of a home wood worker and I'd like to make and sell my own slingshots to a wide audience on a small business level. But I'm afraid what will happen if someone hurts themselves or others with my slingshot. I'm going to talk to a lawyer about it, I just need to figure out what kind, and if they have free consultations, heh. I just want to hear your opinions, please.
> 
> ...


Has a gun company ever paid out to lawsuits for someone being shot dead or injured by one of their guns? No. Why would it not be the same for slingshots? You are not responsible for what someone else does "possibly" unless that person is under aged (>18). So just require the person to be 18 and to show a valid form of ID verifying age. If you really want to go nuts on protecting yourself get a photocopy machine to copy the ID onto a receipt and have the person sign it.


----------



## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

I have been asked by quite a few folks on this forum if I would sell or trade for one of my Modified Daisy Slings, the answer is a simple no, a few of the reasons below:

1) I do not have a company set up for liability insurance.

2) I do not have warnings written on any packaging.

3) I do not have any proof of testing in insure the strength of my attachment method.

4) I have modified another companies sling shot for my use, and do not have permission from the original manufacturer to resell it.

Once you buy something the manufacturer has no say in what you do with it, but reselling another companies product without their permission I'm sure is a no no legally, and if not legally I'm sure enough threats of legality will stop you from doing what your doing.

You are doing the correct thing by seeing an attorney, have all your bases covered ..... you won't regret it in the long run.

wll


----------



## Btoon84 (Nov 22, 2011)

In all fairness, this is a sue happy age we are living in. If one of your slingshots breaks or comes apart in any way, resulting in injury to someone, then you're possibly in some hot water. It is important that the products you provide consumers with are safe. With that said, Setting up liability coverage can be expensive.

I suggest in the meantime, you make some slingshots, trade some slingshots and get to know the community as best you can. Welcome aboard


----------



## Nobodo (Nov 5, 2014)

Definitely like btoon said, if there is some manufacturing flaw in your product that results in injury, lawsuits might result.

For example, Daisy released some slingshots a number of years ago that used a ball-in-tube attachment method, but the tube could easily slip out, and that resulted in some bad injuries.

But as to addressing possible misuse of any product, sometimes a manufacturer goes to absurd extremes with warnings. And the thing to always remember is you cannot predict the ridiculous ways a customer might possibly misuse your product. It's interesting to visit slingshot manufacturer's sites and see the warnings they have, but as others have said you might want to contact them and ask about any type of legal hassles they have actually had from customers.

See bottom of page (the MUST READ): http://pocketpredator.com/two.html

See info and liability disclaimer: http://www.simple-shot.com/pages/safety

However, the above two bits of 'must read' and disclaimer information are not presented to a customer during the purchase process and are not part of the terms of use for the websites, so I doubt they are legally binding in any way.


----------

