Story highlights Judge sets trial date in lawsuit against makers of gun used in Sandy Hook killings

Families say gun marketing strategy deliberately targets young men, some of whom are inclined to violence

(CNN) A potentially precedent-setting lawsuit against gun manufacturers on behalf of families of those killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting will move forward to the discovery process, a Connecticut judge ruled Tuesday.

The decision, which also sets an April 3, 2018, trial date, paves the way for depositions and potential access to internal documents from Bushmaster Firearms and Remington.

It would be the first lawsuit of its kind to reach the discovery phase after the enactment of the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA, according to experts

"This is precedent setting in the sense that, after PLCAA, this is the first case against a firearms manufacturer under a negligence theory that looks like it might make it to trial," said Georgia State University law professor Timothy Lytton, who studies gun industry litigation.

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