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Judge To Hear Arguments In Suit Against Gunmaker By Sandy Hook Victims' Families

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A federal judge in Bridgeport, Connecticut will hear arguments Monday on whether Remington Arms can be sued for selling the gun that Adam Lanza used in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

As WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reported, the gun companies named in the lawsuit are expected to argue that they are protected under a federal law that gives the firearms industry immunity against most claims by victims when guns are misused.

They will further argue that a loophole the families are trying to exploit does not apply, because the manufacturer transfer and sale of the assault rifle used by the shooter were done legally.

It will be up to the judge whether the case should go to trial. She has previously sided with the families.

The lawsuit is one of three initiated by Sandy Hook families. Of the other two, one has been settled and the other is pending.

In April, a judge denied a motion to dismiss another of the lawsuits against the manufacturer of the Bushmaster AR-15

On Dec. 14, 2012, Adam Lanza, 20, shot and killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza killed his mother before the school shooting and killed himself afterward.

Last year, more than a dozen victims' families split $1.5 million under settlements of lawsuits filed against the estate of the gunman's mother.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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