LOOPHOLE

Gunmaker Wants Newtown Lawsuit Tossed

Files motion to dismiss suit filed by victims’ families.

The company that made the gun used in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting wants a Connecticut judge to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit brought on by families of some of the victims. Lawyers for the North Carolina-based Freedom Group, the parent company of AR-15 maker Bushmaster Firearms, argue that the company is covered under a 2005 federal law that protects gun manufacturers from criminal use of their products. However, the victims’ lawyer contend the suit is allowed under a loophole that allows litigation against manufacturers that know, or should know, that their products are likely to be used in a way that poses a threat of injuring others. Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis is set to hear arguments Monday on the motion to dismiss.