SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California judge has decided victims of the 2019 synagogue shooting near San Diego that killed one worshiper can sue the manufacturer of the semiautomatic rifle and the gun shop that sold it to the teenage gunman.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports the judge found that victims and families proved their argument that Smith & Wesson knew its AR-15-style rifle could be easily modified into an assault weapon in violation of state law.

A federal law shields gunmakers from damages in most cases for crimes committed with their weapons. But it allows lawsuits if the manufacturer knowingly violated a state or federal law.