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Weapon Similar to Newtown Shooter's Used in Orlando, Florida Shooting

State of Connecticut
An assault-style weapon found at the Lanza home in Newtown, Connecticut.

The ATF confirmed that one of the weapons used in yesterday’s shooting in Orlando was an AR-type rifle, similar to the one used by Adam Lanza to kill 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

Lawyer Josh Koskoff represents several of the Newtown victims' families in their lawsuit against Remington Arms, the parent company of Bushmaster Firearms, which makes the AR-15 rifle.

"It's no wonder that the weapon was chosen by yesterday’s shooter," Koskoff said. "It's been chosen by so many before him, and it will undoubtedly be chosen again in massacres after him."

Koskoff said the weapon was designed for military-style attack.

"This is a weapon that was designed for the United States military to do to enemies at war exactly what it did yesterday morning, and exactly as it did in Sandy Hook, and Aurora, and other towns across the country," he said. "It was designed to kill mass numbers of people with maximum efficiency and ease. It's really the gold standard for killing the enemy in battle, and it's become the gold standard for mass murders of innocent civilians in civilian life."

Gun companies said the lawsuit should not move forward.

Remington has argued that under a 2005 federal law, firearms makers are shielded from most lawsuits for criminal acts committed with their products.

Diane Orson is a special correspondent with Connecticut Public. She is a longtime reporter and contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have been heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here and Now; and The World from PRX. She spent seven years as CT Public Radio's local host for Morning Edition.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.