Son of Mass Shooting Victim Sues Ruger Firearms

The son of Colorado mass shooting victim Susanne Fountain is suing Sturm, Ruger, and Co., claiming the company used “deceptive marketing practices” to sell the pistol used in the March 22, 2021, King Soopers attack in Boulder.

Breitbart News reported that ten people were killed in the attack and that the shooting suspect passed a background check for the firearm, acquiring it legally at retail.

The Denver Gazette/Associated Press noted Fountain’s son, Nathaniel Getz, is “accusing Ruger of marketing the AR-556 varieties as ‘entry-level’ AR-15-style guns and promoting them as weapons specifically for killing people.”

The AP pointed out Getz’s attorney, Andrew Garza, said, “We believe they marketed it in a way that was meant to appeal to the militarization of young individuals, glorified lone shooters and, especially in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, we think they had a moral responsibility to do better.”

Lawsuits against gun companies face a steep hurdle inasmuch as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) shields gun makers in instances were the guns were legally made and legally sold.

However, the AP explained Sandy Hook Elementary school families found success in suing Remington based on the marketing approaches used for the Bushmaster rifle used in the Sandy Hook attack.

The Bushmaster rifle was stolen and used by the Sandy Hook Elementary School attacker after he first used a stolen gun to shoot and kill his mother.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.