Sandy Hook Families Urge High Court to Keep Rifle Bans

Relatives of five first-graders and one educator killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting asked the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve state and local bans on semiautomatic rifles. They filed a friend of the court brief on Wednesday. The filing weighs in on two cases challenging weapon restrictions in Connecticut and the Chicago area. Justices are scheduled to hear oral arguments in both matters on Dec. 2.

The families described the 2012 attack as graphic proof of the extreme lethality of AR-15-style firearms. The brief states that the shooter, an 112-pound youth, used the weapon to inflict severe harm on American communities. The relatives said they seek to protect other families from becoming casualties in similar killing sprees. They emphasized the high body counts and devastating injuries associated with these specific rifles.

Gun rights advocates argue that banning semiautomatic rifles violates the Second Amendment. They note that millions of Americans legally own these firearms. Supporters of the bans counter that the rifles were designed for military use. They argue the weapons are too dangerous for civilians and should be regulated like machine guns. More than 40 other parties, mostly in favor of the bans, also submitted amicus curiae briefs on Wednesday.

Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old shooter, fired more than 150 bullets in about four minutes at the locked school in Newtown, Connecticut. He used a Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle with high-capacity ammunition magazines. The massacre resulted in 26 deaths and led Connecticut to ban such rifles in 2013. That law is now before the Supreme Court. Lower courts have already upheld the restrictions in Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois.

Jennifer Hensel, whose 6-year-old daughter Avielle Richman died in the shooting, cited the physical trauma the victims endured. Authorities told Hensel she would not recognize her daughter’s body. Hensel called for the court to act on a moral imperative to prevent more blood from soaking Connecticut soil. She stated that a fundamental duty to protect residents in the state is at stake in this decision.

Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise, urged the justices to consider the safety of children. Her 6-year-old son, Dylan Hockley, was shot five times. His mother was told not to touch him to say goodbye due to the extent of his injuries. Hockley said in a statement that no family should live with that pain. She argued that the consequences for children and communities cannot be an afterthought for the Court.

Konstadinos Moros, director of legal research and education for the Second Amendment Foundation, responded to the emotional appeals. He said in an email to The Associated Press that solving school shootings is not about banning a type of gun. He argued that school shooters inflict harm because of the helplessness of their targets, not just the capability of their firearms. Moros suggested that proper school security is the real solution. He noted that the Foundation is a plaintiff in the challenges to both the Connecticut and Cook County bans.