Former congressman sues Bloomberg on behalf of gun dealer

<p>Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr filed a lawsuit against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday, claiming his attempt to crack down on gun dealers was "careless, willful and clearly illegal."</p><p>The legal action, filed in Cobb County Superior Court, is in response to a federal lawsuit filed by Bloomberg in May alleging that 15 firearm brokers in five states, including Georgia, were "rogue gun dealers."</p><p>Barr said his client, Smyrna gun dealer Adventure Outdoors, was deceived and defamed by Bloomberg's lawsuit. His lawsuit seeks $400 million in damages.</p><p>"We didn't start this fight. They did," Barr told a cheering crowd in Marietta's city square. "But we intend to finish it and win."</p><p>Bloomberg's lawsuit claims that the dealer sold 21 guns over a seven-year period that were used in New York crimes. The shop's owner, Jay Wallace, said his name has been "trashed in the public eye of the nation."</p><p>"I've run my business with honesty and integrity, and I take pride in being part of the firearm industry," he said.</p><p>The announcement took on a patriotic tune as flag-waving supporters cheered the news of the lawsuit and danced.</p><p>"We will fight to prove the Constitution of the United States is still intact, and that Mr. Bloomberg's fight to abolish the Second Amendment must and will fail," said Edwin Marger, a Jasper lawyer who filed the lawsuit with Barr.</p>