Editing Long Island Rail Road shooting (section)

==Lawsuits==
[[File:Carolyn McCarthy.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Carolyn McCarthy]], wife of victim Dennis McCarthy, was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]] after running on a platform of [[gun control]].]]
[[File:Mineola Memorial Pk td 25 - LIRR Memorial.jpg|thumb|right|A memorial to the shooting in nearby [[Mineola, New York]]|upright]]
[[Carolyn McCarthy]] — whose husband Dennis McCarthy was killed by Ferguson, and whose son Kevin McCarthy was severely injured — was subsequently elected to the United States Congress<ref>{{cite web |date=November 5, 1996 |url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe1996/hrny.htm |title=1996 U.S. House of Representatives Results |publisher=[[Federal Election Commission]] |access-date=January 31, 2008}}</ref> on a platform of [[gun control]]. She was motivated to run for Congress after the representative in her district, [[Dan Frisa]], voted against an assault weapons bill. Some of Ferguson's other victims and their family members have also become involved in gun control efforts.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 7, 1996 |last=Barry |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Barry (reporter) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/07/us/li-widow-s-story-next-stop-washington.html |url-access=limited |title=L.I. Widow's Story: Next Stop, Washington |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 5, 2008}}</ref>

McCarthy also sued [[Olin Corporation]], the parent of Winchester Ammunition, under products liability and negligence theories for their manufacture of the [[Black Talon]] bullets used by Ferguson. The cartridges carry hollow-tipped bullets that expand upon impact, increasing the severity of wounds. One month before the LIRR shooting, Winchester Ammunition announced they were voluntarily withdrawing the Black Talon cartridges from the market.<ref name="Rabinovitz1211" /> McCarthy's suit failed, partly because New York State law placed no responsibility on manufacturers for the criminal misuse of their products.<ref>''McCarthy v. Olin Corp.'' 119 F.3d 148 (2nd Cir. 1997).</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=February 2021}}

At least a half-dozen lawsuits related to the shootings were filed against the Long Island Rail Road and its parent company, the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]. Carolyn McCarthy filed a $36 million damage lawsuit against the two entities, claiming they failed to provide adequate protection for passengers and should have installed metal detectors and used undercover police officers. The suit sought $1 million for Dennis McCarthy's pain and suffering, $10 million for his death and for damages to survivors, and $25 million for injuries to Kevin McCarthy.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Region News Briefs: $36 Million Suit Filed In Shooting on L.I.R.R. |work=The New York Times |date=December 3, 1994 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/03/nyregion/region-news-briefs.html |url-access=limited |access-date=November 7, 2009}}</ref>