Lawyer: Bushmaster, Bull's Eye Settle for $2.5 Million in D.C. Sniper Shootings

AP ^ | Sep 8, 2004 | Anon

[Pharmboy]

SEATTLE (AP) - The manufacturer and dealer of the rifle used in the Washington, D.C.-area sniper shootings have agreed to pay $2.5 million in a settlement with victims' families, a lawyer said Wednesday night. The settlement with Bushmaster marks the first time a gun manufacturer has agreed to pay damages for negligent distribution of weapons, said Jon Lowy, a lawyer with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. He also said the settlement with Bull's Eye Shooter Supply is the largest against a gun dealer.

"These settlements send a loud and clear message that the gun industry cannot turn a blind eye to how criminals get their guns," said Lowy, who helped argue the case.

Bushmaster Firearms of Windham, Maine, agreed to pay $550,000 to eight victims of the sniper shootings. Bull's Eye Shooter Supply of Tacoma agreed to pay $2 million.

Defense lawyers did not immediately return calls for comment.

A judge will determine how to divide the settlement among two people who were injured in the shootings and the families of six people who were killed.

John Allen Muhammad, 43, was convicted and sentenced to death for murder in one of the 10 fatal shootings in October 2002 in the Washington, D.C.-area. His co-conspirator, 19-year-old Lee Boyd Malvo, was tried separately, convicted of murder in a different death and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

AP-ES-09-08-04 2210EDT

[Walkingfeather]

It was their insurance carrier that made the decision im sure. They probably had nothing to do with if they settled or not.

[Richard-SIA]

Probably a cost verse benefit thing.

How much were the lawyers costing a day?
What pressure did their insurance company put on them?
How much longer would the "case" have dragged on if they did not settle?

Still a major disappointment.

[xrp]

They can sue the alcohol manufacturer, too.

[Squantos]

Wait till ya see their prices for post AWB era rigs.........:o)

Stay safe !

[Dead Corpse]

Some folks just gotta learn the hard way. What really sucks is the precedent set.

The AWB may be dyin', but it appears there are still more fights to fight....

[Blood of Tyrants]

I'll bet you are right. They don't have deep pockets like the tobacco companies and can't afford to hire legions of lawyers to drag it out in court for 15 years.

[DocRock]

"They can sue the alcohol manufacturer, too."

Ahhhh... That's why I'm not a liberal lawyer. I didn't think of that!

[Mulder]

Well, this sucks. You'd think that Bushmaster might have taken a lesson from what happened to other manufacturers who have caved in this way.

So I guess this is why Bushmaster recently raised their prices.

I'm going to withold judgement on this until I can get some more info.

[joesnuffy]

So now GM will pay when someone uses a GM vehicle as a gettaway car..
or if some drunk kills a kid with a GM product?

This is wrong...and Bushmaster's paying thieves protection money will send the scent of blood to the trial lawyers receptors...

The sharks are coming to shut down manufacturers

Bad Bushmaster Bad Bad Bad

[oyez]

Bushmaster has too much competition for this. My next purchase may be Colt. I dropped S&W when pulled their crap. z

Bushmaster bears no responsibility because if Bushmaster's product did not exist, the DC area snipers would simply have used something else.

[oyez]

The AW law may expire, but I expect John Edwards and his trial lawyers to come out of the woodwork early next year. If the Democrats do well in November, we can expect a fresh crop of draconian bills to infect congress next spring.

[spunkets]

"The settlement with Bushmaster marks the first time a gun manufacturer has agreed to pay damages for negligent distribution of weapons"

I doubt Bushmaster agreed to anything, other than to allow their insurance carrier to minimize the loss. The carrier would have had to cover the cost of the harassment suit. THe clowns who brought suit are finaced by such evil clowns as G. Soros, hollyweird perverts and all the little naive do good grabbers. No way BM agreeded that they were negligent. This is just brady grabber propaganda.

[Nebr FAL owner]

President Bush isn't going to have a honeymoon period as the Democrats are already planning to file frivolous lawsuits but the bushel basket . Also you can bank on the Democrats doing everything they possibly can to stop anything that The President needs to get done even if it costs lives of service members in the WOT.

[TortReformer]

There always is a honeymoon period to give the country a break...That's how bush got his tax cuts passed...I predict that Rheinquist will retire almost immediately after the elections to give Bush a chance to put whomever he wants on the bench...or at least that's what I would do if I were the Chief Justice...

[coloradan]

Bullseye, yes, but Bushmaster, no. Whether Bullseye complies with the law and good business practices is not Bushmaster's job to determine, it is the BATFE's. Why should a manufacturer be liable for criminal misuse of its products? If anyone should be held accountable for the fact that the rifle, and many others, went unnoticed when they went missing from Bullseye, it should be the BATFE, whose (unconstitutional) charter includes ensuring that gun sellers comply with storage and notification laws.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Should the fact that the government regulates a business excuse the manufacturer from any oversight of those it chooses to let sell its product? I like less government and more personal responsibility.

[Hat-Trick]

I'm anxiously anticipating x-42's lawsuit against McDonalds for negligently distribtion of Big Mac's and super-sized fries.

[Hat-Trick]

My apologies. Fingers on the home row.

Negligent distribution.

[Mini-14]

A portion of the proceeds of the lawsuit will likely pay for lawyers' fees in ADDITIONAL lawsuits. By paying out, Bushmaster shelled out money that is going to be used to against them again...

[coloradan]

I like less government too, but I also like government responsibility. It is not Bushmaster's job to inspect every gun store that would sell its firearms. Under present law, if the place has an FFL, they have been checked by the BATFE and approved. If it later turns out that Bullseye is negligent, that means the licensing authority failed in its duty. I would be all for abolishing the BATFE entirely as an utter failure, but given that it exists, checking up on negligent dealers is its problem, not Bushmaster's. Holding Bushmaster responsble for a government-approved gun dealer's negligence is wrong, unless you can prove collusion or conspiracy between Bushmaster and Bullseye.