U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- The parents of a woman killed in the Oct. 1, 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival have filed a lawsuit seeking to hold firearm manufacturers and dealers liable for their daughter’s death, as reported by the New York Times, but an official with a firearms industry organization told Ammoland that, in his opinion, the legal action is frivolous.
Jim and Ann-Marie Parsons, who reside in Washington State, filed their case in District Court in Clark County, Nev., according to CBS News.
Named as defendants in the case are Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, Colt Defense LLC, Christensen Arms, Daniel Defense, Inc., Patriot Ordnance Factory, FN America, FN Herstal, and several other named companies.
It’s the first lawsuit seeking to blame gun makers and dealers in the attack, launched by a killer identified as Stephen Paddock. He used several semiautomatic rifles fitted with “bump stocks” to kill 58 people and wound more than 420 others in a crowd gathered at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. According to Wikipedia, it was the largest mass shooting ever in the United States, and Paddock’s motive remains unknown. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bump stocks are after-market devices that replace factory stocks on semi-auto rifles. They can be used to mimic full-auto fire, but the internal mechanism of the firearm isn’t changed. The trigger must be pressed for each successive round to discharge, although the addition of the accessory speeds up that cycle.
Carrie Parsons was 31 years old when the shooting occurred.
According to KIRO News in Seattle, the Parsons’ Seattle-based attorney, Rick Friedman of Friedman Rubin PLLP, “believe the Las Vegas shooter was armed with ‘illegal’ automatic weapons, essentially machine guns, because he used bump stocks to make his AR-15 rifles fire automatically.” The couple is also represented by Reno attorney Matthew L. Sharp, and attorneys Joshua D. Koskoff and Katherine L. Mesner-Hage of Bridgeport, Conn.
But Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel at the National Shooting Sports Foundation in Newtown, Conn., labeled the lawsuit as “frivolous” and “politically motivated.” He described the Las Vegas gunman as “a madman.”
“It’s like suing Ford for somebody putting aftermarket products on a Mustang and driving down the Strip running over people,” he observed. “They are alleging that the rifle misused by this madman was somehow unlawfully sold or defectively designed because he was able to affix an aftermarket bump stock, which at the time ATF said was legal.”
Keane was quoted by the New York Times observing, “I don’t know any right-minded person that would say that’s a valid legal theory.”
What may prevent this lawsuit from succeeding is the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), passed in 2005 to protect firearms manufacturers from liability for the criminal misuse of their lawfully manufactured products. The act was passed, according to its language, “To prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others.”
Keane noted that at the time of the shooting, the bump stock devices had been considered legal products by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. All of the firearms used in the attack were apparently legally purchased, along with the bump stocks that were attached to the guns.
Paddock opened fire from a room in the Mandalay Bay Hotel, several hundred yards from the music festival. He fired some 1,100 rounds from a 32nd floor window.
Jim Parsons told KIRO, “All I know is: Assault weapons have no place in this society. Machine gun have no place in this society.”
His wife, Ann-Marie, insisted, “We’re not doing it for the money, and we’re definitely not doing it for the attention because we’re not comfortable with that… We’re doing it because somebody has to do something.”
Other lawsuits have been filed against the hotel and other defendants. This is the first attempt to blame the gun manufacturers.
Keane had this observation: “The litigation wars have re-started.”
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
If anybody has a link to any kind of real report of the Vegas shooting please post it for me. I can’t believe how quiet and fast this shooting went past us. Something is crooked somewhere and I’m, interestede in finding out where things stand. Thanks in advance!! Jim
Where is the outrage against smart phones!!??
Why isn’t Apple being sued for the thousands of deaths caused by “texting and driving”?
Car manufacturers??!! Speed kills you know!
Alcoholic beverages? Same deal.
Imagine the suits against vehicle manufacturers for accidents caused by their operators. Yeah, lets go after in inanimate object that HAS to be used by a human being and CONTROLLED by that human hands. it is ALL the shooter, nothing but a bullshit money case.
Don’t be fooled, the Las Vegas Massacre was a pre-planned DHS test for emergency management response capability. Everyone had 60 days notice to assemble the actors and prepare. If this was a actual mass shooting the FBI report would have included 15,000 pages of real data, not just a silly 3 page summary report! Did you hear the actors? “Throwing an adult over a 15 ft tall wall to save him?” This cannot be done with 2 big tough men. Driving to Mexico to see family members with a 5.56 bullet wound in your leg? It is just silly if… Read more »
IMOA any judge that allows this to move forward is going to open Pandora’s Box of unending lawsuits on any and all products that have been deemed to have been present in someone’s death. No good would come of this at all. Think about the bucket manufacturer being sued because their child fell in and drowned? Think about the beer or soda machine manufacturer being sued because someone rocked the machine to get their stuck beer or soda out? Think about the vehicle manufacturers being sued because their vehicle was used by a drunk driver? There would be no end… Read more »
@GO, I think that the “No end to the law suits” thing is exactly what the national socialists, Trial Lawyers Assc., and anti-constitutionalists have in mind.
That box was opened when a person sued and won for being burned by hot coffee. Old news.
Of course they’re doing it for the money; it’s always about the money.
correct, but a loy-uh said so…. an action is “real” if a loy-uh says it is.
Articles said the guy carried up loads of luggage and boxes to his hotel room, didn’t set off any red flags. People reported seeing shots coming out off a room next to his (a second shooter?) There were 3 women in the room with him at the time of the shooting. Police were told not to enter the hotel room and to turn off body cams. A Arab sheik was near by. in another room with 50 armed bodyguards. The man spent “millions” gambling(where did he get that money?) and travelled to the orient quite often and other countries Some… Read more »
Here I’ll kick this one out for the Joke of the Day; Do you know that they don’t bury Politician or Lawyer, they have a machine that they put over the burial sight, stand them up, flip their scalp, where there is a large slot, with that they put the machine in place over them and SCREW THEM INTO THE GROUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I haven’t seen that advertised on tv yet like the law firms that are your go to for asbestos or a filter that breaks off and goes to your lungs or whatever. It could be the ambulance chasers contacted these people or they are taking their sorrow out on someone else rather than a nut case that wanted to kill as many people as he could, who knows. It is not a good idea to use the court for revenge but there are a lot of that going on. Not all lawyers are ambulance chasers and not all of them… Read more »
This lawsuit should go forward. Let ALL the facts come out. It was not lost on me and a lot of others watching the press conferences how the body language of the Clark County Sheriff was exhibited, vis-à-vis his handlers from the Famous But Incompetent who were standing right next to him. This whole horrible event was a set up by the Deep State. Congress was ready to move forward on the bill to okay firearm suppressors for hearing protection. There is still the issue of who owned the upper levels of the hotel(the Saudi Royal Family?). Yes it is… Read more »
Brady Campaign is probably involved, like they were until Lucky Gunner won and the Brady Campaign lawyers disappeared after they lost and left the plaintiffs stuck for Lucky Gunner’s legal expenses. OOPs, bet no one has mentioned that big fact, if the plaintiffs lose, the PLCAA says they are responsible for the defendant’s legal expenses.
What about all of the deaths Tobacco, Auto Manufactures, Plane Manufactures, almost anything they can think of could be sued for or band!!!!!!!!! My question still is where is the Proof about all of these guns that were equip with 1 gun is only 1 picture, when there is a large drug bust and guns are involved the news takes all kinds of pictures, but only 1 picture of 1 gun with a supposed to be Bump-Stock????????????? and that being jumped on and Band?????????
Experiencing Déjà Vu, anyone? This case sounds a lot like Soto vs. Bushmaster all over again. Of course, here the owners of the Hotel are a “Deep Pocket” too. I don’t know if they have been named in the suit. But, clearly, the antigun mob, like Bloomberg’s Group, “Everytown for Gun Safety” has its M.O. all over it. Bloomberg’s group and others are probably controlling and coordinating the effort. The intent behind the present lawsuit as with Soto is, of course, the same: to drive gun manufacturers out of business. To succeed, however, Plaintiffs must employ novel legal theories that… Read more »
Wait… is everyone just going to ignore the fact that there is absolutely zero evidence, from a visual, witnessed, forensic or any other evidentiary standard, that Paddock killed anyone that night from that hotel, much less with a bumpstock! For god sakes there has been officer worn body cam footage of police going through the room and showing/saying the window wasn’t even broken since what, 6 mos. after the Vegas attack?! No broken window = incorrect/intentionally falsified official narrative, period. Also, anyone still holding onto this belief is either woefully and willfully ignorant of the facts, being coerced, paid, or… Read more »
So if we follow this logic then we need to open up ALL lawsuits against the tobacco companies that have killed hundreds of thousands, maybe a few million with their products. We need to go back at least 80 years and bring law suits up.
I think it is time to limit the number of practicing lawyers to avoid lawsuits like this. Furthermore, the amount the lawyers can receive for services should also be limited to prevent price gouging and huge fees collected often leaving their clients with next to nothing.
This makes much more sense than gun control and forced laws on law abiding citizens. People really need to either grow a pair or put their big girl panties on and quit blaming others (especially if they have potential deep pockets).
@Robert Woodke, You are aware, of course, that the numerical limit that you propose on lawyers would have to be zero.
When the lawsuit fails the Attorney (s) that brought the lawsuit should bear full financial responsibility for bringing the lawsuit in the first place, when court costs and defense attorney fees come out of their pockets, they will be very careful what suits they file!
Can I get relief from the Jack Daniels company because I was drunk when I married my wife?
@JAMES, Yes, you can get said relief in quarts or fifths!
HA, HA! Good one! Me like!
Have a Fifth for the Fourth!
What I would like to see come out of this is the documentation of just one round, with a chain of custody trail, leading from a victim to just one of Paddocks rifles! I have seen no such evidence in the media.
Quatermain,
There wasn’t any ballistics testing presented in the investigation report regarding the Las Vegas shooting.
There was no testing results available to the media or the public that linked any firearm in Paddock’s possession to any projectile causing injury.
There is, however, evidence that the window in Paddock’s room wasn’t broken until at least an hour after the attack ended.
See the John E Hoover YouTube channel.
The only winners in this are the lawyers.
Not law makers but, law breakers.
Shame on any Gun Owner who votes Democrat.
Guess it’s true. These people are totally immune from facts. Not one gun made it to the room on it’s own. Not one gun loaded itself. not one of those guns sat up and pulled it’s own trigger. The manufacturer was nowhere near the place.
Not sure who’s the worst in these things, the people or the ambulance chasers who take the case.
It’s lies and bs! Just like all the great information we received from the ATF and Las Vegas Police Department’s reports of the shooting. Just more DEEP STATE tactics to erase the 2nd amendment from our Constitution. It is time for PEOPLE to start being HELD accountable for THEIR own actions! The DEMORATS and DEEP STATE would be a best place to start. HANG’EM HIGH and be proud!
So parents get to sue gun manufacturers and other types of manufacturers under the laws of the United States for death or injury. But parents who have children permanently impaired, disabled and or killed by vaccines are forbidden to directly sue drug manufacturers. Instead, parents of vaccine damaged children have to go through an arduous process to prove damage or death even when the entire medical profession have been told there are no dangers of vaccines and therefore NEVER look for, let alone, make the associations between the symptoms found in the drug insert of said vaccine. Sounds fair to… Read more »
I am still waiting for the lawsuit filed against a state or city that calls itself “Sanctuary” for someone’s child being killed by an illegal alien who was not supposed to even BE HERE and was welcomed with open arms by politicians trying to re-shape America.
There are more solid grounds for that than for gun restrictions given that the “sanctuaries” are clearly violating U.S. immigration law.
I’m waiting for antivaxxers to get sued for damages caused by their neglect and the re-emergence of diseases that all but extinct
If vaccines are effective then those who are vaccinated can never be harmed by those not vaccinated. My Body, My Choice.
When the next car or truck bomb goes off, make sure to sue the vehicle manufacturers! While anyone can sue anyone, really stupid lawsuits like this are only meant for the mass media to make money trying to create controversy. Aren’t the mass media so good at creating misery for everyone while profiting themselves!!
Sounds like those folks found themselves an ambulance chasing POS shyster looking to make some fast money and a big time reputation. Shakespeare was right.
Tell the real truth of what firearms were used in this mass killing field.
They have never told the real story, nothing more than hipe on the backs of the dead, shameful…
Who will make arms for the military if this lunacy prevails? The parents appear to want sympathy on a national level. While I strongly sympathize with them, I also believe they may find solace in a different direction; Christ will bare their burden and grief if they come to Him. As horrible as this may sound, I can’t help but wonder if they are being manipulated through their feelings.
OH! GOODY!!! I can now SUE the car maker when someone runs into me. Who is this ASININE “judge” who does not understand the phrase; “you are responsible for your own behavior”? People behave?. inanimate objects can and DO NOTHING on their own!!!!!!! The “judge” that allowed this TRAGEDY to progress this far – – – MUST be DISBARRED and REMOVED due to LACK of KNOWLEDGE of the American Constitution and LIFE !!!!!!!!!!
“We’re doing it because somebody has to do something.”
I feel sorry for the couple who lost their daughter, but doing something stupid, just to be doing something, doesn’t help anyone.
@Mike Ross, I am guessing that they are doing something because some lawyers have convinced them that they can get lots of free money out of the deal. Those nameless, faceless, fatherless lawyers think that they have found a way around the law. The judge is helping.
And with all this publicity the lawyer said they will get TV interviews, book offers, movie offers and make lots of money ( for the ambulance chaser lawyers of course).
Yeah, the guy pulling the trigger had little to do with it. Some people really lack a moral compass….
Keep in mind sports fans. All that is needed to win a civil lawsuit. A good legal team…A judge who allows the case to go to trial…A sympathetic jury. PLCCA or any other law matters not. At the end of the day most suits end in a monetary settlement or enormous legal expenses. When the case should have never gone to trial in the first place. The Judaical branch of OUR Government is just another part of the Swamp that needs cleansed.
“A good legal team” that struck my funny bone.
Well, “good” means a sufficiently skilled, and unscrupulous.