Families of sniper victims sue gun store and rifle manufacturer

The families of two people allegedly killed by the Washington snipers have launched a legal action against the maker of the weapon used in the attacks and the gun store that sold it.

Relatives of James "Sonny" Buchanan and Conrad Johnson claim the gun maker and store showed "gross negligence" that led to the deaths. They are seeking unspecified damages.

Thirteen people were killed during a three-week spree that terrorised the suburbs of Washington DC last October. Mr Buchanan, 39, was killed while mowing the lawn at a car dealership in White Flint; Mr Johnson, 35, a bus driver, was shot in nearby Aspen Hill as he sat in his vehicle.

The action, which has been launched in Tacoma, Washington state, names the Bull's Eye Shooter Supply, in Tacoma, which either sold the rifle or lost it in a theft, and the store's owners, Brian Borgelt and Charles Carr. It also names Bushmaster Firearms Inc, of Maine, which produced the Bushmaster XM15 assault rifle discovered in the car of the sniper case defendants, John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, and which has been linked to the shootings by forensic science tests. The lawsuit says: "If Bull's Eye and Bushmaster and the other gun industry defendants had acted responsibly in the sale of their guns, Muhammad and Malvo would not have been able to obtain the assault rifle they needed to carry out their shootings."

The lawsuit alleges that at least 238 guns, including the assault rifle, went missing from the shop in the past three years. But despite audits by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms showing the store had lost dozens of guns, Bushmaster continued to use it as a dealer.

A spokesman for Bushmaster, insisted the company had done nothing wrong and that it sold the rifle legally to a firearms dealer. "We naturally don't feel [the lawsuit] is legitimate. Nowadays, lawyers are looking to file lawsuits wherever they can," he said.

Mr Buchanan's sister, Vickie Snyder, said she hoped the lawsuit would help bring about greater control in the sale of weapons. "I guess I really hope the shops will be more responsible in their paperwork and the manufacturers will be more responsible about who they sell guns to," she said.

Mr Muhammad and Mr Malvo are accused of killing and wounding people in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and Washington.