Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - How Congress Gave Gun Makers Immunity From Lawsuits—and Could Derail Justice For Sandy Hook Families

And why that's a big, big problem.

Today, several families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting are in court, waiting to hear whether their lawsuit against Bushmaster—the company that manufactured the military-style gun used to kill their loved ones—can go forward.

The chances are slim.

That's because the gun industry has a unique legal protection, thanks to their allies in Congress.

Under a law passed by a Republican-controlled Congress in 2005, victims of gun violence cannot legally hold irresponsible gun dealers or manufacturers accountable in most cases where their actions endanger Americans.

Here's what that means: In the United States, you can sue a toy company for making an unsafe teddy bear—but it's nearly impossible to sue a company that manufactured an assault rifle used to kill a classroom of elementary school students.

And the family of one of the victims of the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting was legally blocked from suing an online gun dealer that sold 4,000 rounds of ammunition to the shooter without checking his driver's license. In fact, since the law was passed, nearly every lawsuit filed against gun manufacturers has been dismissed.

The executive vice president of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, has called the immunity law "the most significant piece of pro-gun legislation in 20 years."

This law, which has been on the books for more than 10 years, is a startling example of what's at stake in this election. Because if you agree with President Obama that we need a president who will stand up to the gun lobby, the choice is clear.

Hillary Clinton (and then-Senator Obama) stood up to the gun lobby and voted against shielding firearms manufacturers and dealers from legal liability.

Bernie Sanders voted with the gun lobby. In fact, he did it twice: once in 2005, and once in 2003.

Senator Sanders's votes to give the gun lobby legal immunity are even more puzzling when you consider this: He voted to reject that same immunity for fast-food restaurants and five other industries.

The law that lets gun manufacturers and dealers act without consequence should be overturned. There's only one candidate in this race who has what it takes to do that.

Even now, Senator Sanders says he doesn't regret the vote.

Hillary has had a more straightforward solution for over a decade: Repeal the bill entirely and hold the gun industry accountable.

Ending the gun industry's legal immunity is an important step in tackling the epidemic of gun violence in this country.

For Hillary, that's not just talk: She's been standing up to the gun lobby for years. As Wayne LaPierre, CEO and executive vice president of the NRA, puts it:?

And when it really mattered, Senator Sanders stood with them.