Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
“Even in a country where mass shootings had become a painfully common occurrence, the Sandy Hook massacre was a gut-wrenching moment,” said Rick Rojas in The New York Times.
On 14 December 2012, a 20-year-old gunman stormed an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, killing 20 first-graders and six adults. President Obama gave a powerful speech at a memorial, in which he promised to curb the spread of firearms. His vow yielded little legislative action, but the families of the Sandy Hook victims have now achieved some accountability through the courts.
Last week, they settled a lawsuit for $73m against Remington, which made the AR-15-style Bushmaster rifle used in the massacre. It’s believed to be the largest payout by a gun manufacturer in a mass shooting case.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
America owes these families a great debt, said E.J. Dionne in The Washington Post. They were told their case was unwinnable owing to the 2005 federal law that grants gunmakers sweeping immunity from civil liability. But they got round that by arguing that Remington – which agreed to release thousands of pages of internal documents about its marketing strategy as part of the settlement – had violated Connecticut’s consumer law.
They said it had marketed its semi-automatic rifles in a way that encouraged illegal use by enticing troubled young men. One advert for the Bushmaster carried the tagline, “Consider your man card reissued”; another included the phrase, “Forces of opposition, bow down. You are single-handedly outnumbered.”
Since many states have unfair-trade-practices laws like Connecticut’s, it’s likely that gun-violence victims will bring similar cases elsewhere, said Timothy D. Lytton on The Conversation (London). But people shouldn’t get too excited. Last week’s payout may have had more to do with Remington’s effort to re-emerge from bankruptcy than “a new-found willingness among gunmakers to settle claims”. And the supreme court, which has yet to have its say on this issue, may decide that the federal immunity shield does cover such cases.
Besides, said Mike Kelly on NorthJersey.com, whatever happens now, there are already 20 million of these military-style assault rifles in the US. Some are owned by the police, but most are in the hands of civilians. “The war over guns in America is far from over. It has barely begun.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Nigeria's worsening rate of maternal mortality
Under the radar Economic crisis is making hospitals unaffordable, with women increasingly not receiving the care they need
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Woman reunited with egg she signed in 1951
It Wasn't All Bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
American rescued after 12 days in Turkish cave
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukrainian military has ‘shown how the Russian army can be beaten’
Talking Point Recent Ukrainian frontline advances may offer hope for its counter-offensive
By The Week Staff Published
-
Earring lost at sea returned to fisherman after 23 years
feature Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Bully XL dogs: should they be banned?
Talking Point Goverment under pressure to prohibit breed blamed for series of fatal attacks
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Netanyahu’s reforms: an existential threat to Israel?
feature The nation is divided over controversial move depriving Israel’s supreme court of the right to override government decisions
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmer plants 1.2m sunflowers as present for his wife
feature Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published