A surgical instrument (20) adapted for applying a plurality of surgical fasteners to body tissue, the surgical instrument comprising:an anvil (122)a cartridge housing (121) containing a plurality of surgical fasteners, the cartridge housing and anvil being relatively movable between a first spaced apart position and a second position in close approximation with one anothera firing mechanism associated with the cartridge housing for ejecting the surgical fasteners from the cartridge housing to be driven against the anvil anda lockout mechanism (180) interacting with the cartridge housing for selective activation and deactivation the lockout mechanism includes a lockout lever (181) rotationally mounted on a closure member of the surgical instrument, the lockout lever includes a distal end and a proximal end with a central section therebetween, the central section being pivotally mounted to the closure member allowing the lockout arm to rotate in a controlled manner.
