Boston, MA – Yesterday, the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting settled with firearm manufacturer, Remington Arms. Remington Arms owns Bushmaster, the company that manufactured the firearm used at Sandy Hook. The firearm is still available for sale in most states.
“People don’t possess the gene to bury our children and ever be the same,” said John Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence. “No amount of money will bring loved ones back to the families involved in this lawsuit, but we applaud them for holding the uniquely unregulated gun industry accountable for preventable mass shootings. This lawsuit will help prevent the next massacre and the more than 100 gun deaths every day in America. In 2005, Congress and President Bush gave the gun industry immunity from lawsuits which emboldened gun makers, including Remington, to intentionally and recklessly market particularly deadly military style assault weapons. These weapons are used regularly in the daily mass shootings of 4 or more people.”
“This settlement is an important milestone that should give hope to victims of all gun violence to continue to sue and force gun makers to act responsibly. Gun industry executives have chosen extreme greed and profits over public safety and even their own family’s lives. It’s about time they be held accountable and pay for getting away with murder and causing endless grief felt by millions of Americans as a result of preventable gun violence.”
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Stop Handgun Violence (SHV) is a Massachusetts based non-profit organization committed to the prevention of gun violence through education, public awareness, effective law enforcement and common-sense gun laws. SHV has been the lead advocate in Massachusetts for enactment of the most effective gun violence prevention laws and first in the nation consumer protection regulations. The organization does not seek to restrict Constitutional rights, but advocates only for common sense legislation that will help save lives. For more information, go to www.stophandgunviolence.org