The families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting agreed to a $73 million settlement with Remington, the maker of the rifle that was used to murder 20 first-graders and six educators in 2012.
“Nothing will bring Dylan back,” said Nicole Hockley, who was the mother of a 6-year-old who was killed in the shooting. “My hope for this lawsuit is that by facing and finally being penalized for the impact of their work, gun companies along with the insurance and banking industries that enable them will be forced to make their practices safer than they’ve ever been, which will save lives and stop more shootings.”
The case was watched closely by gun manufacturers and gun control advocates as a potential example of how courts would view victims’ and victims’ families’ efforts to hold gun makers accountable.
The nine families’ goal was to prove to manufacturers how their marketing was dangerous and urged them to take responsibility. The case argued that the marketing of the specific Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle that was used in the shooting was targeted at younger males, who are the main audience for violent video games. They also brought up a Remington ad, that showed the gun and stated, “Consider Your Man Card Reissued.”
Remington appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that their marketing had nothing to do with the shooting, but the high court declined to hear the case.
