Guilty found: Brooklyn subway shooting victim sues arms manufacturer

A woman who was injured this year in a New York City subway attack is suing the manufacturer of the weapon used in the crime. She claims the injuries she sustained were a direct result of the company's marketing and sales tactics. Fox Business.

Ilene Stewart was one of 29 injured on the Brooklyn subway on April 12. Prosecutors allege that Frank James used a Glock 17 handgun in the incident. He purchased the gun legally from an Ohio pawnshop in 2011.

On the subject: Police arrest Frank James in Brooklyn subway shooting suspect

In a lawsuit filed this week, Stewar's attorneys allege that Glock Inc. and its Austrian parent company must be held accountable for the attack.

The lawsuit is based on a state law passed last year that opened the door for anyone to sue a gun manufacturer. It is only necessary to prove that the product creates trouble for society.

Gun manufacturers and rights groups have challenged the law, saying it is unconstitutional and vague. However, a federal court upheld it last week.

Now Ms. Stewar's lawyers are trying to prove the Glock's marketing was unfounded.

The statement said that Glock's marketing highlights their weapons of high power and ease of concealment, which attract potential buyers with criminal intent. Including placing products in films and rap music.

The Glock brand is the standard firearm for law enforcement throughout the US and internationally. And the lawsuit accuses the company not only of aggressively marketing to police departments since the 1980s, but also of selling its weapons to civilians. Lawyers claim that Glock is issuing a weapon capable of wreaking unprecedented massacre among civilians.

According to the lawsuit, Glock encourages law enforcement to turn in used handguns in exchange for new ones and then resell the used firearms commercially.

However, as noted in the case of Frank James, the gun was acquired legally. FOX Business asked if this was more of a matter for lawmakers than to lay the blame on gun makers.

“We believe the Glock's marketing tactics or distribution strategies have created such an appetite among buyers whether they purchased the gun legally or not,” said Sanford Rubenstein, one of Stewar's attorneys. “It created a public disorder.”

Glock Inc. did not respond to a request for comment.