Attorney of Sandy Hook Families Suing Gun Manufacturer: 'It is Time for Gun Manufacturers to be Held Responsible'

Newtown, CT —The attorney who is representing several Sandy Hook families in their lawsuit against the gun manufacturer, distributor and seller of the AR-15 used by the Sandy Hook shooter in the 2012 Newtown massacre, released a statement on the tragedy in Orlando.

Josh Koskoff said in a statement that the ATF has confirmed that one of the weapons used in Sunday’s shooting was a “.223 caliber AR-type rifle,” similar to the .223-caliber Bushmaster XM15 used by the Sandy Hook shooter.

Koskoff continued:

"This morning’s massacre of innocent civilians in Orlando is more horrific evidence of the unique lethality of the AR-15. It is no wonder that this weapon was chosen by today's shooter, as it has been by so many before him and as it undoubtedly will be again. It was designed for the United States military to do enemies of war exactly what it did this morning: kill mass numbers of people with maximum efficiency and ease. That is why the AR-15 has remained the weapon of choice for the United States military for over 50 years. It is the gold standard for killing the enemy in battle, just as it has become the gold standard for mass murder of innocent civilians. The gun industry pretends the civilian AR-15 is vastly different than the military version, because it does not have select fire. This is a charade – the industry knows that the weapon is most lethal in semi-automatic, "one shot-one kill" mode – yet these companies continue to sell it to civilians, abandoning reason in exchange for profit. They continue to extol the combat virtues of the AR-15 through careful marketing practices that target young, violence-prone men. As the lawsuit brought by several families destroyed by the Sandy Hook massacre seeks to do, it is time for gun manufacturers to be held responsible for these choices."

Image by Mitch Barrie via Flickr Creative Commons