Nearly five years after Adam Lanza fatally shot 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School, families of the victims are returning to the Connecticut Supreme Court to pursue a lawsuit against the gun manufacturer, Remington Outdoor Co., who produced the weapon used in the mass shooting. According to the Hartford Courant, the families' lawyer said to justices of the court the case is against the ways Remington marketed the AR-15, which Lanza used during the massacre on December 14, 2012.
The lawsuit
The Hartford Courant is reporting families of nine victims and one survivor are arguing that Remington marketed the AR-15 for public use, even though it has military caliber.
Lawyer of the victims, Josh Koshoff, said to the justices that Lanza heard their marketing message and also idolized the military.
Legal experts said the justices will determine the case depending on how they interpret two possible exceptions accepted under Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), according to the Hartford Courant. The exceptions include whether Remington is liable for "negligent entrustment"--which according to the Hartford Courant,is the process of a seller supplying a product to a person who would use the product to cause "unreasonable risk of physical injury to the person or others." The other exception being whether Remington violated the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The Hartford Courant reports Lanza fired 154 bullets in five minutes using this Bushmaster AR-15 to kill 20 first graders and six adults. In 2016, the lawsuit was dismissed by the courts when they found Remington falls under "broad immunity" issued by the PLCAA to gun manufacturers and dealers.
According to the Hartford Courant, Amicus Curiae, or "friend of the court," filed from organizations such as the National Rifle Association, as well as 10 physicians--some who have treated mass shooting victims--support the Sandy Hook victims' case.
Mass shootings continue
Since Lanza shot his way through Sandy Hook Elementary School, there have been two mass shootings in which the shooter used high-caliber weapons as well, but murdered more people than Lanza did. Last week, Sutherland Springs, Texas became the next American town to be affected by Gun Violence when gunman Devin Patrick Kelley fatally shot 26 people and wounded 20 others at the First Baptist Church. President Donald Trump said last week that the attack is not a gun issue, but rather an issue of mental illness.
