Judge Rules Newtown Lawsuit Against Gun-Maker Can Go Forward

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

A lawsuit can go forward against the maker of the rifle used in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, a judge ruled Thursday.

Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said that a 2005 federal law protecting gun-makers from lawsuits does not prevent lawyers for the victims' families from arguing that the semi-automatic rifle is a military weapon and should not have been sold to civilians.

Lanza, 20, killed 20 first-grade students and six educators on Dec. 14, 2012 with a Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle that his mother had bought legally. Lanza killed his mother, Nancy Lanza, at their Newtown home with a different gun before going to the school a few miles away, and then killed himself as police arrived.

The families of nine children and adults killed at the Newtown school and a teacher who survived the attack are suing Remington Arms, the parent company of Bushmaster Firearms, which made the weapon used in the school shooting.

Lawyers for Remington Arms sought to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the federal law shields gun manufacturers from most lawsuits over criminal use of their products. They said Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act after determining such lawsuits were an abuse of the legal system.

Judge Bellis ruled Thursday that argument would be best made in a motion later in the process and is not grounds to dismiss the lawsuit.

Lawyers for Remington did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Joshua Koskoff, a lawyer for the families, argues there is an exception in the federal law that allows litigation against companies that know, or should know, that their weapons are likely to be used in a way that risks injury to others.

"We are thrilled that the gun companies' motion to dismiss was denied," he said. "The families look forward to continuing their fight in court."

Debate over the 2005 law has resurfaced in this year's presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton has criticized fellow Democrat Bernie Sanders' for supporting it when it was passed.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-rules-newtown-lawsuit-gun-maker-forward-38399050

This is the new frontier folks. Get ready.

[andy58-in-nh]

The suit ought to be dismissed on the grounds that the rifle in question, a common semi-automatic sporting rifle, is no more a "military weapon" than the tens of millions of similar rifles owned by tens of millions of other Americans.

And the lawyer in question ought to be horsewhipped on the grounds that a horsewhip was likely to be used in such a manner against a scumbag attorney.

[txradioguy]

The suit ought to be dismissed on the grounds that the rifle in question, a common semi-automatic sporting rifle, is no more a "military weapon" than the tens of millions of similar rifles owned by tens of millions of other Americans.

And the lawyer in question ought to be horsewhipped on the grounds that a horsewhip was likely to be used in such a manner against a scumbag attorney.

Facts like that don't matter to the Libs wanting to strike the 2nd Amendment.

This is the way Hillary wants to backdoor ban weapons and she's said as much on the campaign trail.