Exclusive: Survivors and families of those killed in a 2017 Texas church shooting send letter to AG Garland asking to end a Justice Dept. appeal and offering to accept a reduction in the amount they were awarded, as they “just want to put this behind us.”
that found the federal government partially at fault for the deadly attack.
To bring about the end of the appeal, the survivors offered in their letter to Garland to accept a reduction in the amount they were awarded by 10% or 15%, as they “just want to put this behind us and get to healing.” The survivors and victims previously told NBC News that they feared the Justice Department’s argument would damage the integrity of the background check system. The National Rifle Association appeared to agree but applauded the agency’s arguments earlier this month. The gun rights group has regularly claimed that the background check system burdens “the exercise of Second Amendment rights by law-abiding people” and could lead to universal gun registration and eventual confiscation.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. It has previously emphasized Biden’s commitment to gun safety when asked about the case and directed questions to the Justice Department, which the administration said continued to operate independently.Agency spokesperson Dena Iverson called the attack “an inexpressible tragedy” in a previously shared statement. She said that the Justice Department was not attempting “to excuse the Air Force’s failure” through its appeal.
The Sutherland Springs survivors said in their letter that they were “grateful” the government paid the damages in those cases “without making those families relive their horrors in a trial,” and noted that the families involved were saved from having to face an appeal.
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