US: Lawsuit could make gunmaker open books

The case against Remington will now proceed in the Connecticut courts. Photo / 123rf

A ruling by the US Supreme Court has upended a longstanding legal roadblock that has given the gun industry immunity from lawsuits in the aftermath of mass killings.

The court has allowed families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre to sue the maker of the AR-15 used in the attack.

The case against Remington will now proceed in the Connecticut courts.

Remington is widely expected to win, but critics of the gun industry are eyeing what they see as a significant outcome: getting the gunmaker to open its books about how it markets firearms.

Plaintiffs allege Remington purposely used advertisements that targeted younger, at-risk males, such as "Consider Your Man Card Reissued".

Remington did not respond to requests for comment.

Larry Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation says it's unfair to blame the gunmaker for Adam Lanza's crime.

Also, Lanza didn't own the firearm; he stole it from his mother after killing her in their home then went to the elementary school in Newtown, where he killed 20 children and six adults.

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association's CEO Wayne LaPierre earned about US$2 million ($3m) last year, according to tax filings cited in media reports. It comes as the NRA faces investigations that threaten its nonprofit status.

- AP