BRIDGEPORT - In a formal response filed July 12 in Superior Court, the lawyers for the plaintiffs in the ongoing Sandy Hook Elementary School gun lawsuit have objected to the defendants' recent request that a protective order be issued to seal certain gun-related documents in the case, and thus prevent those documents from being publicly disclosed.

In the court case, the families of some of the victims in the December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook School shooting incident are suing the manufacturer, distributor, and seller of the semiautomatic rifle that a rampaging gunman used to kill 20 first graders and six educators.

The plaintiffs' response states in part that "Remington did not become the country's leading seller of military weaponry to civilians by accident. It ascended to that position through its calculated marketing and pursuit of profit above all else. Plaintiffs lost family members, including children, in the service of that bottom line. Now Remington wants them to do more to protect its profitability."

Remington Arms Company, LLC, is among the several defendants in the case.

The defendants have until July 18 to file a response to the plaintiffs' statement.

The court case is in the discovery process, through which the plaintiffs' attorneys are taking formal statements about firearms from Remington's marketing and sales staff. Through that process, the plaintiffs obtain information from the defendants to prepare their legal case in the wrongful death lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs contend that Remington's manufacturing, sales, and marketing activities for the firm's military-style Bushmaster XM15-E2S semiautomatic rifle violate the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA), and that its sale of the firearm to a civilian market was negligent.

In seeking a protective order, Remington states that the plaintiffs have requested from it certain documents and information that is proprietary, which if publicly disclosed would financially harm Remington and aid its business competitors.

Judge Barbara Bellis is presiding in the case.

Through the lawsuit, the plaintiffs seek money damages and injunctive relief.

Jury selection for the trial of the lawsuit is scheduled to start in April 2018.