The families of nine victims killed in the 2012 massacre at the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school has sued the maker of the gun used in the attack, as well as the companies that distributed and sold the rifle, saying the weapon should not have been sold as it has no reasonable purpose for civilians.
The AR-15 assault rifle used in the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School was legally sold, but the lawsuit argues the weapon should not have been available to 20-year-old Adam Lanza. The 40-page wrongful death lawsuit, filed over the weekend, names the defendants Bushmaker, the gunmaker; Camfour, the distributor; and Riverview Sales, the gun shop where Lanza’s mother purchased the weapon. Riverview Sales owner David Laguercia is also named in the suit, according to Reuters.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Lawsuit against gun manufacturer, distributor and seller”]
In order to continue profiting from the sale of AR-15s, defendants chose to disregard the unreasonable risks the rifle posed outside of specialized, highly regulated institutions like the armed forces and law enforcement. Plaintiffs seek nothing more and nothing less than accountability for the consequences of that choice.
[/quote]
The families seek unspecified monetary damages and injunctive relief. A number of the families filed the lawsuit on behalf of the victims’ estates, including the family of Victoria Soto, a first-grade teacher, and student Dylan Hockley’s family. Survivor and teacher Natalie Hammond is also a plaintiff.
Nicole Hockley, mother of 6-year-old victim Dylan, and Mark Barden, father of 7-year-old victim Daniel, appeared at a news conference on Monday, USA Today reported. They chose not to comment on the lawsuit but instead push for new laws to restrict access to firearms and improve mental health treatment.
“My little Daniel’s death was preventable,” Barden said.
Bushmaster has been sued before. In 2004, two survivors and families of six victims in the 2002 sniper shootings settled for $2.5 million after suing the company and a gun shop. This was the first case in which a gunmaker had to pay damages for crimes involving their weapons, according to the Washington Post.
