A federal judge says he'll rule soon on whether to dismiss claims filed in several lawsuits against the U.S. Air Force in connection with a 2017 massacre at a Texas church that killed more than two dozen people.

Relatives of those killed or injured at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs sued , arguing that the federal government was negligent by failing to report gunman Devin Kelley's criminal information to a national database used to conduct background checks of gun buyers.

The Express-News reports lawyers for the Justice Department argued Tuesday in court that federal employees should be shielded from the lawsuits.

A government report released last year said the Air Force failed six times to report information that could have prevented Kelley, a former airman, from buying a gun.