Supreme Court allows Sandy Hook lawsuit to proceed

WASHINGTON—Survivors and relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting can sue the maker of the rifle used in the deadly tragedy, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. Gunman Adam Lanza, 20, used a Bushmaster XM15-E2S .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle to kill 20 first graders and six teachers in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012 before killing himself as police arrived.

What do the plaintiffs want? The lawsuit alleges that the gun’s manufacturer, Remington Arms, should not be shielded from product liability damages. According to the lawsuit, the company marketed the AR-15-style rifle “for use in assaults against human beings.” Lawyers argue Remington irresponsibly targeted younger males through product placement in violent video games. Congress passed a law in 2005 protecting firearms manufacturers from being held liable for crimes committed by gun owners. Lanza’s mother legally owned the rifle Lanza used in the shooting.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Stew about how congressional Republicans are struggling to unite around solutions to gun violence.