Supreme Court to hear Mexico's suit against U.S. gun manufacturers
March 4 (UPI) -- The Mexican government's lawsuit against U.S. gun companies is set to go before the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The lawsuit, originally filed in federal court in Massachusetts in 2021, seeks to hold gun manufacturers responsible for violence perpetrated by cartels using firearms trafficked from the United States.
The suit was dismissed in September 2022, with the court citing the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which shields gun manufacturers from being targeted by civil suits stemming from illegal use of their products.
The decision was reversed in January 2024 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit, which ruled that the lawsuit falls under an exception to the PLCAA that allows manufacturers to be targeted by lawsuits if they knowingly violated the law.
Jonathan Lowy, a lawyer serving as co-counsel for Mexico and president of Global Action on Gun Violence, alleged the gun manufacturers are aware of unscrupulous gun dealers selling to cartels.
"Manufacturers know who those dealers are, how they're supplying the cartels, and yet they continue to choose to sell their guns through those dealers, and allowing those sales practices," Lowy was quoted as saying by NPR.
The Smith & Wesson Brands vs. Estados Unidos Mexicanos case is now set to go before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, marking the high court's first case involving the PLCAA.
A decision in the case is expected by summer.
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