A U.S. judge has dismissed most of Mexico's $10 billion lawsuit aimed at holding American gun manufacturers accountable for the trafficking of firearms to violent drug cartels across the countries' shared border.
The lawsuit, filed in 2021, targeted eight gun companies, but U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor in Boston dismissed claims against six of them, citing issues of jurisdiction and calling the companies' connection to Massachusetts "gossamer-thin at best." The six companies who have been ruled out of the suit are Sturm, Ruger, Glock, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Colt's Manufacturing, Century International Arms, and Beretta. The remaining defendants are Smith & Wesson Brands and Witmer Public Safety Group
While Mexico argued that statistically it was likely that some firearms sold in Massachusetts were eventually illegally trafficked to Mexico, Saylor said the country lacked sufficient evidence to establish jurisdiction.
The lawsuit initially accused the gun manufacturers of undermining Mexico's strict gun laws by designing, marketing, and distributing military-style assault weapons in ways that the companies allegedly knew would arm drug cartels. Mexico claimed that, of the over 500,000 firearms trafficked annually from the U.S. into Mexico, more than 68% are produced by the companies it sued.
According to Mexico, this illicit trafficking has contributed to high rates of gun-related violence, a decline in investment and economic activity, and increased spending on law enforcement and public safety.
Parties from both sides of the legal conflict reacted to the news, according to testimony collected by The Guardian. Lawrence Keane, general counsel of the industry trade group National Shooting Sports Foundation, welcomed the decision, labeling Mexico's claims as "obvious forum-shopping" while Steve Shadowen, an attorney representing Mexico, expressed disappointment with the dismissal and indicated that Mexico is considering its legal options.
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