UPDATE:
Based on several comments below, it seems that there is a lack of understanding of why the Sandy Hook families and their attorneys do believe they have a legitimate legal claim. Let me provide some info on that:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/22/health/sandy-hook-families-gun-lawsuit/
That rifle (the AR-15) is based on an automatic, lightweight weapon originally commissioned by the U.S. military. The only limit to the speed the AR-15 fires is how fast a shooter can pull the trigger for each round.
"Each of the kids had three to eight bullets in them," Barden said. "There is just something wrong if that can happen."
Wheeler and Barden are part of a potentially precedent-setting lawsuit seeking accountability from gunmaker Remington.
"Our families deserve that day in court," said Joshua Koskoff, an attorney representing nine victims' families and a teacher who survived. "We believe they should be accountable to their fair share of responsibility."
The case has the potential to make history if it goes to trial. A 2005 federal law, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, grants gun manufacturers immunity from any lawsuit related to injuries that result from criminal misuse of their product -- in this case the AR-15 rifle.
"It's always been a big uphill battle for plaintiffs to sue the gun industry," said Georgia State University law professor Timothy Lytton. "It was even before the immunity (legislation), and it's an even bigger one now."
One exception to the immunity legislation is what's called "negligent entrustment."
"Say a gun retailer handed a gun to a visibly intoxicated person, then they're not subject to the immunity," said Lytton, who studies gun industry litigation.
You might ask: Since Remington did not come into direct contact with the shooter -- that happened at a gun retailer -- how would that apply? The lawsuit argues that the way in which the company sells and markets a military-style weapon to the civilian market is a form of negligent entrustment.
"Remington took a weapon that was made to the specs of the U.S. military for the purpose of killing enemy soldiers in combat -- and that weapon in the military is cared for with tremendous amount of diligence, in terms of training, storage, who gets the weapon, and who can use it," Koskoff, the attorney for the families, said. "They took that same weapon and started peddling it to the civilian market for the purposes of making a lot of money."
ORIGINAL DIARY FOLLOWS:
The Daily News headline story today is about Senator Sanders’ comments on the Sandy Hook families’ lawsuit against the gun manufacturer.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/conn-sen-murphy-burns-bernie-sanders-gun-lawsuit-stand-article-1.2589519
Presidential populist Bernie Sanders came under blistering fire Tuesday for opposing efforts by families of Sandy Hook shooting victims to sue gun manufacturers.
Sanders, in an exclusive interview with the Daily News last week, said, “No, I don’t,” when asked if victims of a crime with a gun should be able to sue the manufacturer.
His Democratic rival and her Connecticut supporters took aim at the upstart, saying the Vermont senator was out of touch on the issue after the full transcript of his remarks were released Tuesday.
KIN OF SANDY HOOK VICTIMS SAY AR-15 RIFLE IS MADE FOR BATTLE
“I was against it, and he was for it, to give immunity from liability to gunmakers and sellers,” front-runner Hillary Clinton told supporters at a campaign event at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. “We can reverse this, and 92% of Americans and 85% of gun owners agree that we should.”
At issue is whether the manufacturer, distributor and seller of shooter Adam Lanza’s AR-15 assault rifle can be sued for the deaths of 20 students and six school staffers killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.
The plaintiffs claim they can sue the companies because manufacturers knew the AR-15 rifle used in the Sandy Hook shooting wasn’t suitable for civilian use when it was introduced in the market.
Prominent Connecticut Democrats vehemently disagree with Senator Sanders. So do many New Yorkers. Expect to hear a great deal about this over the next few weeks, which is as it should be.
Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said the public doesn’t need “apologists for the NRA.”
SANDY HOOK IS PROOF THAT AR-15 RIFLE IS A KILLING MACHINE
“He is just wrong,” Malloy, criticizing Sanders, told The News. “He is dead wrong on guns. He had an opportunity to educate the people of Vermont about guns. Vermont is small enough that he could have gone house to house to educate people about guns.”
...
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy took to Twitter to shoot down Sanders’ gun stance, saying the presidential candidate is out of line.
“For Sanders to say that the Sandy Hook families should be barred from court, even if the weapon was negligently made, is wrong,” Murphy tweeted.
“Bernie is a friend, but this is really bad. Dems can’t nominate a candidate who supports gun manufacturer immunity.
This is a very serious and important issue. I stand with the Sandy Hook families. Bernie does not. I don’t know how you can see it any other way.