Sandy Hook and a Reckoning for Gunmakers

Sandy Hook and a Reckoning for Gunmakers

Author: Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts May 23, 2023 Duration: 39:11

Last year – ten years after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut – one of the country’s biggest gunmakers, Remington Arms Co.,the manufacturer of the Bushmaster assault weapon used in the murders, agreed to pay $73 million to settle a lawsuit some victims’ families filed against it. It was a landmark settlement that opened a gap in the formidable legal and financial armor that had long allowed gunmakers to avoid both culpability and accountability for all of the other massacres that preceded Sandy Hook. It was rough justice, but the Remington case offered a roadmap for challenging the 2nd Amendment. Josh Koskoff was the attorney who represented the Sandy Hook families in the Remington case, and he’s now part of a team of lawyers representing families of some of the victims of a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. 

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Tim O'Brien, a senior executive editor at Bloomberg Opinion, hosts this weekly Crash Course from Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts. Instead of observing from the sidelines, each episode places you directly inside the high-stakes environments where major disruptions in business and society actually unfold. The narrative-driven podcast examines what happens when powerful forces-like raw ambition and innovative thinking-meet immovable objects like entrenched competition and institutional power. These collisions aren't abstract; they happen in the very real worlds of Wall Street trading floors, Main Street small businesses, Hollywood studios, and the corridors of Washington, D.C. By dissecting these pivotal moments, the series uncovers the practical, often surprising lessons that emerge from the chaos. It’s a deep dive into the mechanics of change, offering clarity on how today’s upheavals shape tomorrow’s landscape. You’ll hear detailed stories and analysis that go beyond the headlines to explain the why and how behind the news, making complex power struggles accessible and compelling.
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