As Highland Park officials ponder their legal response to the Independence Day mass shooting that killed seven people and injured dozens more, a slow-moving case just over the state line suggests one possible path.
In 1999, the city of Gary, Indiana, sued numerous gun manufacturers, distributors and retailers, claiming they were a public nuisance for supplying weapons they knew would reach criminals.
The case was among a flurry of suits filed by cities and advocacy groups, seeking to hold gun-makers and dealers responsible for the carnage caused by the use of their products. Almost all of the lawsuits — including one filed by Chicago — were dismissed, aided by a federal law designed to shield the gun industry from liability.
