Sandy Hook Settlement and Other Hunting Retailer News

Remington settles Sandy Hook lawsuit; TriStar Arms expands; and Sellmark receives Edison Award

By Hunting Retailer Staff
February 18, 2022

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Remington Outdoor Company's Insurance to Pay $73 Million in Sandy Hook Settlement

A settlement has been reached following the 2015 lawsuit against Remington Outdoor Company brought forward by the families of five children and four adults that were killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

A $73 million settlement was reached by Remington's four insurance companies seven years after the families filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, alleging that Remington should be held partially responsible for the shooting because of its marketing strategy.

Last summer Remington's insurance companies offered nearly $33 million to the families, but no agreement was reached. The $73 million settled on now is all the available coverage that the insurance companies could pay. The settlement is the largest and first of its kind since the 2005 federal law that provided gun makers with broad protection from the liability in the unlawful use of their weapons. The money will be divided evenly among the nine families.

In the lawsuit, the families argued that Remington negligently entrusted to civilian consumers a weapon suitable for use only by military and law enforcement. The suit also claimed that the company’s advertising and placement in violent video games glorified violence using the rifle, thus violating the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act through the sale or wrongful marketing of the rifle.

Remington argued that there was no evidence that their marketing and advertising had anything to do with the shooting. However, the Connecticut Supreme Court disagreed, ruling that the company could be sued for the marketing of their AR-style rifles.

It is thought this settlement could pave the way for similar lawsuits seeking to hold gun companies accountable for mass shootings. The NSSF released the following statement regarding the settlement:

“The decision to settle in the Soto v. Bushmaster case was not made by a member of the firearms industry. The settlement was reached between the plaintiffs and the various insurance carriers that held policies with Remington Outdoor Company (ROC), which effectively no longer exists.

As part of bankruptcy court proceedings, the assets of ROC were sold at auction in September of 2020. Remington Outdoor Company, which owned the Bushmaster brand, effectively ceased to exist as a going concern. The lawsuit, however, continued against the estate of the Remington Outdoor Company, essentially ROC’s insurers and their insurance policies in effect at the time.

The settlement also does not alter the fundamental facts of the case. The plaintiffs never produced any evidence that Bushmaster advertising had any bearing or influence over Nancy Lanza’s decision to legally purchase a Bushmaster rifle, nor on the decision of murderer Adam Lanza to steal that rifle, kill his mother in her sleep, and go on to commit the rest of his horrendous crimes. We renew our sincere sympathy for the victims of this unspeakable tragedy and all victims of violence committed through the misusing of any firearm. But the fact remains that modern sporting rifles are the most popular rifle in America with over 20 million sold to law abiding Americans and rifles, of any kind, are exceedingly rarely used in crime.

The Connecticut Supreme Court wrote in its Soto v. Bushmaster (4-3) opinion, “[T]the plaintiffs allege that the defendants’ wrongful advertising magnified the lethality of the Sandy Hook massacre by inspiring Lanza or causing him to select a more efficiently deadly weapon for his attack. Proving such a causal link at trial may prove to be a Herculean task.” NSSF believes the Court incorrectly allowed this one claim to go forward to discover. We remain confident ROC would have prevailed if this case had it proceeded to trial.

Finally, this settlement orchestrated by insurance companies has no impact on the strength and efficacy of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which remains the law of the land. PLCAA will continue to block baseless lawsuits that attempt to blame lawful industry companies for the criminal acts of third parties.

TriStar Arms Expands Again

For the third time in seven years, TriStar Arms has expanded its footprint.

This expansion brings the total square footage at their facility to 11,500 square feet. TriStar says it will increase efficiency by an estimated 30% and demonstrates their commitment to value. The increases efficiency will help keep final costs to consumers down and get more products on the shelves of retailers.

“Even before the crunch of 2020/2021, demand for TriStar Arms firearms has increased considerably year after year,” says Ryan Bader, vice president of sales and marketing. “We owe it to our customers to continually improve and so have once again expanded our capacity and workspace.”

The expansion will mostly be in the form of more warehouse space to accelerate receiving, quality control and shipping operations.

Sellmark Recognized for Innovation

The Edison Awards, established by the American Marketing Association to recognize new products, services, marketing, innovation and design chose the Sellmark Corporation as this year’s recipient.

Sellmark is known for its sell-marketing strategy since its establishment in 2000, the company was formed to fill gaps in the optics industry. Currently, Sellmark engineers are consistently working on new ways to enhance product life, durability and technological capabilities all while reducing price points.

“Continuous innovation is vital to the success of Sellmark,” says James Sellers, president of Sellmark. “Our Director of Engineering, Jonathan Horton, consistently challenges his team to find the best materials, engineering procedures and quality-assurance checks to set an exceptional standard for Sellmark products.”

The company is located in Mansfield, Texas, and the Mansfield Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, Lori Williams says Sellmark was selected for their continuous focus on innovation, specifically for ‘seizing opportunities’ that propel them into the future.

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Sandy Hook Settlement and Other Hunting Retailer News

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