BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) – Sandra Torres, the mother of Uvalde shooting Victim Eliahna Torres, is suing Bryan County gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, Gun Shop Oasis Outback, and state and local law enforcement for what is said to be their roles in the Robb Elementary School mass shooting that occurred on May 24, 2022, killing 21 people.
According to a press release, the lawsuit, filed by Everytown Law in coordination with LM Law Group, alleges that the shooter used a gun that was unfairly marketed by Daniel Defense in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act and was negligently transferred to him by the Oasis Outback gun shop.
However, there are some who don’t think arms manufacturers should be held liable for mass shootings.
Willie Puskas, owner of Puskas Firearms Innovations, LLC in Richmond Hill said, “It’s not the manufacturers that are causing the crimes, it’s the criminals causing the crimes. Honestly, if people want to do harm, they’re going to do harm, whether it’s guns, knives, axes, shovels, U-Haul vehicles, anything of the such.”
On the importance of arms manufacturers and firearms businesses Puskas said, “It does play a big part in our culture and in America. They do provide a lot of jobs and in itself, the manufacturers create the products, we have smaller shops like mine, which allows us to be able to hire people and it just trickles down, it becomes an economical balance, and it helps all.”
He continued, “Marketing is very hard for gun companies, period. We have to usually spend a lot of money to be able to find people that are specialists to be able to get us around the issues that we deal with from day to day, and you know, marketing is good for all businesses. We want equal opportunity as well.”
Veteran William Smith said he doesn’t think gun manufacturers make it easier for mass shooters. “It’s a regulated industry and people got the right to defend themselves but you have to follow the law. It’s the people who make the laws that need to step up and do something if they really want to do something.”
On mass shootings, Bobby Wedincamp of Low Country Pawn said, “The person holding the gun is responsible, nobody else.
He continued, “It’s important to be able to buy a gun if they legally can have it. Any laws, any lawsuits, that’s not going to keep the criminals from having guns. They don’t come to gun shops to buy guns anyway, they buy them off the streets, from other people. My biggest question for the whole Uvalde thing is how does somebody without a job, afford two of the most expensive guns out there, and all of the ammo he bought, how did he afford it? I can’t afford a Daniel Defense and I’m 42 years old.”
Paul Jung, also of Low Country Pawn added, “People who are killed by a car accident don’t sue the car manufacturers but somebody who gets shot by a gun can sue the manufacture? What’s the difference?
“With drunk drivers, you can’t sue the car manufacturers and distributors, you can’t sue them, they’re the makers of these vehicles, somebody else is driving them, somebody else is handling them, and they kill somebody, but they can’t sue the car manufacturer.”
