The families of nine victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting that saw 20 children and six teachers murdered at an elementary school in Connecticut have reached a settlement with gun manufacturer Remington.
The perpetrator used a Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle made by Remington — which the families argued should have never been available on the public market — to carry out the shooting. Remington had previously proposed a $33 million settlement, but a lawyer for the victims’ families stated that they ultimately agreed to $73 million.
The suit was first filed against the company in 2014. Claiming wrongful death, the plaintiffs accused Remington of engaging in deceptive marketing tactics in promoting the firearm as a hyper-masculine weapon. One Remington ad depicted the gun with the words: “Consider Your Man Card Reissued.” The gunmaker denied a casual relationship between the advertising strategy and the tragedy.
Nicole Hockley, mother of shooting victim Dylan Hockley, said after the court decision: “My beautiful butterfly, Dylan, is gone because Remington prioritized its profit over my son’s safety. Marketing weapons of war directly to young people known to have a strong fascination with firearms is reckless and, as too many families know, deadly conduct. Using marketing to convey that a person is more powerful or more masculine by using a particular type or brand of firearm is deeply irresponsible.”
While federal law shields gun manufacturers from some wrongful death litigation, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Remington was not immune from liability on the matter of its marketing practices. Remington appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which dismissed the opportunity to review the case.