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In reply to the discussion: Parents of Sandy Hook victims planning lawsuit against gunmaker Bushmaster [View all]branford
(4,462 posts)and polling in support of gun rights and against restrictions is the highest it's been for decades. Newtown really was barely a political blip in the grand scheme of things, and on its second anniversary, there is virtually no mention except by activists. I would even argue that Newtown was a turning point where the public is now desensitized to mass shootings.
To the extent the lawsuit is filed and receives any mainstream coverage at all, the most that will probably happen is a small spike in sales for Bushmaster and other manufacturers while providing a fundraising opportunity for the NRA and similar organizations.
I believe you're projecting you own feelings about firearms onto the potential effects of any lawsuit. When the shooting was fresh and graphic, gun control advocates accomplished little and gun rights supporters became energized. While gun sales increased, a Democratic Senate couldn't even pass universal background checks. Since the shooting, some version of open or concealed carry is now available in all states. Simply, why would a very long-shot lawsuit challenging a tested law more than two years after the shooting with little press coverage engender a worse reaction than the shooting itself?
I believe Bushmaster will react to the lawsuit, if it is actually filed, with little more than a "meh," as they send it off to their insurer. Unless and until an appellate court actually accepts the plaintiffs' assumed legal theories, a very dubious proposition, the case will receive little coverage, and cause even less concern in firearm community.