Supreme Court Allows Sandy Hook Relatives to Sue Gun Maker

Carlee Soto-Parisi, whose sister Vicki Soto, a teacher, was killed at Sandy Hook, said the family was looking forward to learning more about the company through the discovery process.

“This is a victory for my family,” she said. “We’re all very excited that we’re able to go to court and that Remington will be held accountable.”

“We’re glad to see the case move forward,” Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse Lewis died at Sandy Hook, said in a statement. After the shooting, Ms. Lewis founded the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, which provides a social and emotional learning curriculum for schools. “It’s solely and strictly about the marketing of Remington products. Gun control is really not what the lawsuit is about. It’s about the marketing and advertising, accountability and responsibility.”

Remington representatives did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

The 2005 shield law was the culmination of an extended effort by the National Rifle Association. When the bill passed, the organization noted its seven-year campaign for the law, including “a comprehensive legislative and election strategy,” according to its chief lobbyist.

At the time, the firearms industry and President George W. Bush, who signed the law, said it was necessary to protect gun makers from “frivolous lawsuits” that could bankrupt the companies. Wayne LaPierre, the chief executive of the National Rifle Association, called the law “historic,” saying its passage by Congress was the industry’s most significant legislative victory in 20 years.

Jason Ouimet, the executive director of the N.R.A.’s Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement on Tuesday that deflecting “attention away from mental illness and criminals in order to blame inanimate objects won’t reduce violent crime or make anyone safer.”

Critics, including scores of law professors who signed a letter to Congress protesting the bill in 2005, have said the law extends protection to the firearms industry that few other industries enjoy.

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