Sandy Hook Gun Lawsuit Heads To Connecticut Supreme Court

Granting the request of relatives of victims of the Newtown school shootings, Connecticut's Supreme Court has accepted their lawsuit against Remington Arms, maker of the rifle that killed 20 students and six teachers in 2012.

The suit had been dismissed in October, when Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis ruled that, as NPR reported, " Congress, through the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, has broadly prohibited lawsuits against the makers, distributors and sellers of guns 'for the harm solely caused by the criminal or unlawful misuse of firearm products ... by others when the product functioned as designed and intended.' "

The gun's design and intended use are at the heart of the plaintiffs' case, as the families' attorneys say that the weapon never should have been offered for sale in the civilian marketplace.

Since the case was first filed in January of 2015, it has bounced back and forth between federal and state courts. The current court record shows some 150 legal entries about the case.

The acceptance by Connecticut's high court comes nearly four years after the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary.