Comment by zdragnar

There's a difference between being able to be successfully sued (civil liability, petitioned by a private entity) and charged (criminal liability, or petitioned by a government entity).

The thresholds for suing and charging differ greatly depending on the circumstances.

Another set of hypothetical examples that make things muddier:

- If I drive a fishing boat into a pier, I am liable, not the manufacturer of the boat

- If I drive a car over someone lying in the road, I am liable, not the manufacturer of the car

- If my life is in danger and I shoot a gun and kill my attacker, neither I nor the manufacturer are liable so long as I obeyed the relevant self defense laws and gun possession of whatever jurisdiction I am in

- If I fire a gun into a crowd indiscriminately, I am liable and several jurisdictions have used that to also hold gun manufacturer liable as well

That last example has been less successful as of late, but there are other variations too.