Page 5 - Aruba Today
P. 5
U.S. NEWS A5
Tuesday 23 February 2016
Gun maker seeks dismissal of lawsuit over Newtown shooting
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — persuades gun companies Firearms training unit Detective Barbara J. Mattson, of the Connecticut State Police, holds up a
Lawyers for a gun maker to not sell AR-15s to the Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, the same make and model of gun used by Adam Lanza in the Sandy Hook
and families of some Sandy public. School shooting, during a hearing in Hartford, Conn. Lawyers for a gun maker and families of some
Hook Elementary School “This is an instrument of war Sandy Hook victims squared off in a Connecticut courtroom Monday over whether a federal law
massacre victims squared designed for the battle- prevents the families’ wrongful death lawsuit targeting the AR-15 rifle used to kill 20 children and
off in a Connecticut field that is marketed and six adults in the 2012 shooting.
courtroom Monday over sold to the general public,” (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
whether a federal law pre- said Mark Barden, whose
vents the families’ wrong- son Daniel was killed in the
ful death lawsuit targeting massacre. “We’re just ask-
the AR-15 rifle used to kill ing for accountability.”
20 children and six adults in Nicole Hockley, whose son
the 2012 shooting. Dylan died in the shooting,
Judge Barbara Bellis in said the plaintiffs are hop-
Bridgeport heard argu- ing to prevent AR-15s from
ments but didn’t issue a rul- being used in other mass
ing Monday. She said she shootings. “He chose the
would rule within the next AR-15,” she said of Sandy
two months on whether the Hook shooter Adam Lanza,
lawsuit should go forward “because he was aware
toward trial or be dismissed. of how many shots it could
The families of nine chil- get out, how lethal it was,
dren and adults killed at the way it was designed,
the Newtown school and that it would serve his ob-
a teacher who survived the jective of killing as many
attack say the AR-15 is a people as possible in the
highly lethal military weap- shortest time possible.”
on that should not be sold State police say Lanza,
to the public. They’re suing 20, killed his victims with a
Freedom Group, the Madi- Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle,
son, North Carolina, parent an AR-15 model, on Dec.
company of Bushmaster 14, 2012. Lanza killed his
Firearms, which made the mother, Nancy Lanza, at
AR-15 used in the school their Newtown home with a
shooting. different gun before going
Lawyers for Freedom Group to the school a few miles
said the company is pro- away, and then killed him-
tected by a 2005 federal self as police arrived. Nan-
law that shields gun manu- cy Lanza legally bought
facturers from most lawsuits the rifle, state police said.
over criminal use of their Debate over the 2005 law
products. They said Con- has resurfaced in this year’s
gress passed the Protec- presidential campaign.
tion of Lawful Commerce Gun rights advocates
in Arms Act after determin- posted to social media
ing such lawsuits were an and gave interviews with
abuse of the legal system. traditional media Monday
Joshua Koskoff, a lawyer for criticizing the Newtown
the victims’ families, said families’ lawsuit. “It is un-
their lawsuit is believed to conscionable for plaintiffs
be the first to be filed under to assert that a company
an exception listed in the who manufactures a legal
federal law that allows liti- product would do so with
gation against companies any fore-thought that it
that know, or should know, was somehow acceptable
that their weapons are to commit murder with
likely to be used in a way their products,” Scott Wil-
that risks injury to others. son, president of the Con-
The families are seeking un- necticut Citizens Defense
specified monetary dam- League, told Hartford-area
ages and hope the lawsuit station WFSB-TV.q
