- Victims of the Highland Park mass shooting have filed multiple lawsuits against Smith & Wesson.
- A lawsuit alleges that the gun manufacturer used marketing and advertising techniques to encourage criminal behavior.
- Seven people were killed by the July 4 shooting in suburban Chicago.
Victims from the July 4th Massacre Highland Park Mass shooting in suburban Chicago recently filed lawsuits against gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson and former parent company American Outdoor Brands.
“These plaintiffs are trying to stop irresponsible or unlawful sales and marketing of weapons war like those used in Highland Park attack,” Erin Davis of Brady’s senior counsel for trial-appellate litigation, stated in a release.
One lawsuit accuses Smith & Wesson of developing marketing campaigns that “target impulsive young men with military complexes” and “adolescents drawn to the excitement and risk-taking associated with militaristic weapons or combat missions.” As such, the lawsuit targeted young players of first person shooter games like “Call of Duty.”
Elizabeth Turnipseed, a plaintiff who was shot while standing with her daughter and husband at the Highland Park Independence Day Parade, is seeking to hold Smith & Wesson liable for the marketing and advertising of the M&P15 assault rifle, which, according to prosecutors, the accused gunman at Highland Park’s Independence Day Parade used to kill seven people and wound 48 others.
Turnipseed stated that he didn’t expect to leave a child’s first parade with happy memories. Instead, he left with shrapnel permanently embedded in his body. “This lawsuit will hopefully prevent other families and communities from suffering in the same way as we and the Highland Park community.”
Smith & Wesson’s CEO recently blamed politicians and the movement to “defund the police” for the surge in violence — rather than the company itself — after the gunmaker was subpoenaed for information on AR-15 sales and marketing, Insider reported.
Nancy Rotering, Highland Park Mayor, said that she knew the suspect after the shooting. Legally obtainedThe gun. A grand jury has indicted the accused shooter for 21 counts of murder, 48 charges of attempted murder, as well as 48 counts aggravated. According to the Associated Press,.
Smith & Wesson did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
