Sandy Hook families can sue Remington gun maker, court decides

Families of Sandy Hook shooting victims can pick up their once-dismissed case again, Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

With a 4-3 vote, the court overturned a lower court's decision to dismiss a lawsuit against Remington, which manufactured the gun used in the 2012 school shooting, The Associated Press reports. Families of nine shooting victims launched a wrongful death lawsuit against Remington in 2015, saying it marketed a military-grade weapon to civilians, particularly young people.

The lower court had previously dismissed the suit, citing a federal law that says gun manufacturers can't be held liable when their weapons are used in crimes. The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday agreed with much of that ruling, but did let the suit's wrongful marketing claim continue, AP says. Writing for the majority, Justice Richard Palmer said "the regulation of advertising that threatens the public's health, safety, and morals has long been considered a core exercise of the states' police powers."

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The December 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut marked one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, with 20 children and 6 adults killed. Beyond Remington, parents also sued alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for spreading a hoax claiming the shooting didn't happen. That lawsuit is still ongoing, though plaintiffs did win a February victory allowing them to depose Jones.