Gun Maker Remington Will Pay Mass Shooting Victims $73 Million

In an unprecedented ruling, Remington Arms Co. will pay $73 million to victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting.

The Wall Street Journal reported, 

The settlement is the largest of its kind and first since a federal law was enacted in 2005 providing gun makers with broad protection from liability in the unlawful use of their weapons, said Timothy Lytton, Georgia State University College of Law professor. Gun manufacturers have paid settlements in the past 17 years to gun owners over alleged product defects, but not to victims of gun violence.

According to industry experts, Remington did not fight against the case because the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020.

The WSJ report continued, 

The federal law, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, ‘will continue to block baseless lawsuits that attempt to blame lawful industry companies for the criminal acts of third parties,' said Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents gun makers.

Although, the federal law allows manufacturers to be held accountable for injuries caused in a violation of state laws with regard to the selling of products. This was the argument made in the Remington case and it poses an immense threat to gun manufacturers. 

However, a gun is simply a tool, just as a car is a tool that can do good or harm. Holding Remington accountable for a mass shooting is displacing blame. Furthermore, the settlement begs the question of whether or not car manufacturers should be held responsible for car accidents. 

While the victims of mass shootings and other forms of gun violence deserve justice, it is wrongly served by pinning the blame on gun manufacturers. 

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.