Sandy Hook parents reach settlement with gunmaker

Remington, one of the oldest gun manufacturers in the country, agreed to pay $73 million to the families of nine of the victims killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. The company declared bankruptcy for the second time in 2020, unable to dig out of legal expenses and sales restrictions after the shooting. Four insurers agreed to pay the full amount to the plaintiffs, who include one survivor.

What are the accusations against Remington? Normally liability laws shield gun companies, but lawyers for the parents argued that Remington’s marketing contributed to the massacre. In the shooting, 20-year-old Adam Lanza used a Remington rifle to kill his mother, 20 6- and 7-year-olds, and six teachers. Plaintiffs highlighted the company’s ads, alleging they targeted young, at-risk males and relied on product placement in violent video games. Remington argued this advertising was still protected under federal immunity law and was not connected to Lanza’s actions. The company appealed a Connecticut Supreme Court ruling in the families’ favor, but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The settlement also allows families to release documents about Remington’s marketing strategies obtained during the lawsuit.

Dig deeper: From the archives, read Sophia Lee’s report on how mass shooting survivors bond through grief.