CALIFORNIA (Transatlantic Today) – The companies that sold the rifle used in the assault are being sued by the families of some of the victims of the 2019 shooting at the California garlic festival, alleging that they failed to take reasonable precautions to avoid misuse of the weapons.
A dangerous person operating in and around California was able to legally purchase the weapon in Nevada, take it to California, and use it in the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival that left 17 people injured and 3 people dead, according to 2 similar lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Vermont on July 28. The lawsuits claim that maker Century International Arms and Romanian gun producer ROMARM failed to endorse reasonable safeguards.
According to ABC NEWS, the lawsuit alleges that Century Arms may also have violated Vermont statutes that restrict large capacity magazines.
The lawsuit claims that Century Arms, which has its headquarters in Delray Beach, Florida, also has a factory in Georgia, Vermont, where the ROMARM weapons, which are labeled as AK-style rifles on the company’s website, are modified to comply with American law.
Federal law often protects gun manufacturers from accountability, but this may be about to change.
The families of 9 victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre settled their case for $73 million with the manufacturer of the firearm that killed 20 first graders and 6 teachers.
President Biden called on Congress to end outrageous safeguards for gun manufacturers in June in the wake of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 students and 2 teachers dead. He compared it to the tobacco industry, which has frequently been sued over the link between its products and cancer and other diseases.
Gilroy police reported that the gunman at the garlic festival fired 39 shots from an AK-47-style weapon.
The lawsuits did not list the specific damages they are seeking, but they are seeking a jury trial.
