The manufacturer and dealer of the rifle used in the Washington sniper shootings have agreed to pay around $2.5 million in a settlement with victims' families.
The settlement with Bushmaster marks the first time a gun manufacturer has agreed to pay damages for negligent distribution of weapons, said Mr Jon Lowy, a lawyer with the Brady Centre to Prevent Gun Violence.
He also said the settlement with Bull's Eye Shooter Supply was the largest against a gun dealer.
"These settlements send a loud and clear message that the gun industry cannot turn a blind eye to how criminals get their guns," said Lowy, who helped argue the case.
A judge will determine how to divide the settlement among two people who were injured in the shootings and the families of six people who were killed.
John Muhammad (43) was convicted and sentenced to death for murder in one of the ten fatal shootings in October 2002 in the Washington, DC, area.
His co-conspirator, Lee Malvo (19), was tried separately, convicted of murder in a different death and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
AP