The Supreme Court said Tuesday that the families of victims killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting can sue the maker of the rifle used in the attack, which killed 20 children and six educators.
The justices rejected an appeal from Remington Arms that argued it should be shielded by a 2005 federal law preventing most lawsuits against firearms manufacturers when their products are used in crimes.
In the lawsuit at the center of the case, which was filed in 2014 by families related to the shooting victims, attorneys for the families argued Remington violated Connecticut's Unfair Trade Practices Act in its marketing of the rifle used in the attack to "disturbed young men," The New York Times reported. Among other examples, the families pointed to advertising pitches such as "consider your man card reissued" and product placement in violent video games, according to the Times.
Officials with the Newtown Action Alliance, a group founded by Newtown advocates and activists after the 2012 shooting, welcomed the news on social media.
"We thank the Supreme Court for refusing to block the Sandy Hook families' lawsuit against Remington - the manufacturer of the AR15 that was used to kill 20 children & 6 educators," the group said in a Twitter post.
The decision could prompt other victims of gun violence to file suit against manufacturers for damages, CNN reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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