The father of a 10-year-old girl slain in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting and a school employee have taken initial steps that could lead to lawsuits against Daniel Defense, the maker of the semiautomatic rifle used in last week's massacre that killed 21 people, Reuters reported. Lawyers for Alfred Garza, father of Robb Elementary School student Amerie Jo Garza, requested in a letter on Friday that Daniel Defense provide information about its marketing to teens and children. "We ask you to begin providing information to us now, rather than force Mr. Garza to file a lawsuit to obtain it," said the letter. No lawsuits have yet been announced against Daniel Defense stemming from the shooting. In a separate legal action, school employee Emilia Marin filed papers in Texas state court seeking an order to depose Daniel Defense and force the company to turn over documents, also related to its marketing. Marin is listed as a speech pathologist clerk on the school's website. Marin's filing late on Thursday is a petition that allows a party to begin investigating potential claims. Gun manufacturers are generally shielded from lawsuits over criminal use of their firearms by a federal law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA. However, the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that gun company Remington Arms could be sued by families of Sandy Hook victims under a PLCAA exception because the gunmaker Remington allegedly violated state marketing laws.
