Latest news with #InterstateArms
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Supreme Court Victory: U.S. Blocks Mexico's Gun Industry Lawsuit
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Mexico's lawsuit against American firearms manufacturers, siding with a multistate coalition led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The decision marks a significant victory for gun rights advocates and American manufacturers facing international legal challenges. Mexico had sued Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms, claiming the companies bore responsibility for weapons used by drug cartels. The lawsuit sought to hold American manufacturers liable for criminal activities south of the border. 'Mexico cannot blame American firearms companies for its ongoing internal war against the cartels, and in no way can a foreign nation be allowed to undermine our Second Amendment rights,' Paxton said. 'I proudly supported our firearms manufacturers against Mexico's baseless assault on our liberties and am pleased the Supreme Court unanimously sided with common sense, the rule of law, and America.' The attorneys general coalition argued that Mexico has numerous options to address its gun violence problems. These include reporting dealers allegedly selling to cartels, seeking extradition of gun traffickers, or strengthening border controls. 'But it cannot end the domestic manufacturing of American firearms. Nor can it impose its policy preferences on the United States by judicial fiat,' the brief stated.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US Supreme Court rejects Mexican govt suit against gun makers
The US Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a $10 billion lawsuit by the Mexican government accusing American gun manufacturers of fueling drug cartel violence. In a unanimous 9-0 opinion, the top court said a federal law -- the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) -- shields the gun makers from liability. "Mexico's lead claim -- that the manufacturers elect to sell guns to, among others, known rogue dealers -- fails to clear that bar," said Justice Elena Kagan, the author of the opinion. "Mexico's complaint does not plausibly allege that the defendant manufacturers aided and abetted gun dealers' unlawful sales of firearms to Mexican traffickers." Gun maker Smith & Wesson and gun distributor Interstate Arms had sought dismissal of the Mexican government's suit, which has been winding its way through US courts since 2021. Mexico, which is under mounting pressure from President Donald Trump to curb drug trafficking, had accused the firearms makers of "aiding and abetting" illegal gun sales because they allegedly know that some of their products were being unlawfully sold to the drug cartels. A federal judge tossed out the case in 2022 saying Mexico's claims failed to overcome the protection of the PLCAA, which was passed by Congress in 2005 and shields US gunmakers from liability for criminals misusing their products. An appeals court revived the case citing an exception to the law, and Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms sought relief from the Supreme Court. A majority of the justices on the conservative-dominated top US court appeared to side with the firearms companies during more than 90 minutes of oral arguments in March. Mexico maintains that 70-90 percent of the weapons recovered at crime scenes have been trafficked from the United States. The US southern neighbor tightly controls firearms sales, making them practically impossible to obtain legally. Even so, drug-related violence has seen more than 480,000 people killed in Mexico since the government deployed the army to combat trafficking in 2006, according to official figures. Catherine Stetson, representing the Mexican government before the Supreme Court, said 600,000 US guns are illegally trafficked into Mexico every year and some companies are even "designing certain guns to target the Mexican market," giving them Spanish names such as "El Jefe." The case comes against a backdrop of US-Mexico trade tensions with Trump threatening tariffs on imports from Mexico, citing a lack of progress in stemming the flow of drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. cl/md
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Supreme court strikes down Mexican government's suit against US gunmakers
The US supreme court on Thursday spared two American gun companies from a lawsuit by Mexico's government accusing them of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence on the south side of the US-Mexico border. The justices, in a unanimous ruling, overturned a lower court's decision that had allowed the lawsuit to proceed against firearms maker Smith & Wesson and distributor Interstate Arms. The lower court had found that Mexico plausibly alleged that the companies aided and abetted illegal gun sales, harming its government. The companies had argued for the dismissal of Mexico's suit, filed in Boston in 2021, under a 2005 US law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that broadly shields gun companies from liability for crimes committed with their products. The Boston-based first circuit court of appeals decided in 2024 that the alleged conduct by the companies fell outside these protections. 'Mexico alleges that the companies aided and abetted unlawful sales routing guns to Mexican drug cartels. The question presented is whether Mexico's complaint plausibly pleads that conduct. We conclude it does not,' liberal justice Elena Kagan wrote for the supreme court on Thursday morning. The case came to the supreme court at a complicated time for US-Mexican relations as Donald Trump pursues on-again, off-again tariffs on Mexican goods imported into the US. Trump has also accused Mexico of doing too little to stop the flow of synthetic drugs such as the opioid fentanyl and migrant arrivals at the border, even though Mexico has stepped up efforts to prevent migrants from reaching the border in recent years. Mexico had claimed that the companies have deliberately maintained a distribution system that included firearms dealers who knowingly sell weapons to third-party, or 'straw', purchasers who then traffic guns to cartels in Mexico. The suit also accused the companies of unlawfully designing and marketing their guns as military-grade weapons to drive up demand among the cartels. Mexico in the lawsuit sought monetary damages of an unspecified amount and a court order requiring Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms to take steps to 'abate and remedy the public nuisance they have created in Mexico'. Gun violence fueled by trafficked US-made firearms has contributed to a decline in business investment and economic activity in Mexico.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Supreme Court spares US gun companies from Mexico's lawsuit
By John Kruzel and Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday spared two American gun companies from a lawsuit by Mexico's government accusing them of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence in the southern neighbor of the United States. The justices in a 9-0 ruling overturned a lower court's ruling that had allowed the lawsuit to proceed against firearms maker Smith & Wesson and distributor Interstate Arms. The lower court had found that Mexico plausibly alleged that the companies aided and abetted illegal gun sales, harming its government. The companies had argued for the dismissal of Mexico's suit, filed in Boston in 2021, under a 2005 U.S. law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that broadly shields gun companies from liability for crimes committed with their products. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided in 2024 that the alleged conduct by the companies fell outside these protections. "Mexico alleges that the companies aided and abetted unlawful sales routing guns to Mexican drug cartels. The question presented is whether Mexico's complaint plausibly pleads that conduct. We conclude it does not," liberal Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court. The case came to the Supreme Court at a complicated time for U.S.-Mexican relations as President Donald Trump pursues on-again, off-again tariffs on Mexican goods. Trump has also accused Mexico of doing too little to stop the flow of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and migrant arrivals at the border. Mexico's lawsuit, filed in Boston in 2021, accused the two companies of violating various U.S. and Mexican laws. Mexico claims that the companies have deliberately maintained a distribution system that included firearms dealers who knowingly sell weapons to third-party, or "straw," purchasers who then traffic guns to cartels in Mexico. The suit also accused the companies of unlawfully designing and marketing their guns as military-grade weapons to drive up demand among the cartels, including by associating their products with the American military and law enforcement. The gun companies said they make and sell lawful products. To avoid its lawsuit being dismissed under the 2005 law, Mexico was required to plausibly allege that the companies aided and abetted illegal gun sales and that such conduct was the "proximate cause" - a legal principle involving who is responsible for causing an injury - of the harms claimed by Mexico. Mexico in the lawsuit sought monetary damages of an unspecified amount and a court order requiring Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms to take steps to "abate and remedy the public nuisance they have created in Mexico." Gun violence fueled by trafficked U.S.-made firearms has contributed to a decline in business investment and economic activity in Mexico and forced its government to incur unusually high costs on services including healthcare, law enforcement and the military, according to the lawsuit. Mexico, a country with strict firearms laws, has said most of its gun homicides are committed with weapons trafficked from the United States and valued at more than $250 million annually. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case on March 4.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Supreme Court spares US gun companies from Mexico's lawsuit
Gun companies said suit was barred by a 2005 US law * Mexico decries trafficking of US guns to drug cartels (Adds quote from ruling) By John Kruzel and Andrew Chung WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday spared two American gun companies from a lawsuit by Mexico's government accusing them of aiding illegal firearms trafficking to drug cartels and fueling gun violence in the southern neighbor of the United States. The justices in a 9-0 ruling overturned a lower court's ruling that had allowed the lawsuit to proceed against firearms maker Smith & Wesson and distributor Interstate Arms. The lower court had found that Mexico plausibly alleged that the companies aided and abetted illegal gun sales, harming its government. The companies had argued for the dismissal of Mexico's suit, filed in Boston in 2021, under a 2005 U.S. law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that broadly shields gun companies from liability for crimes committed with their products. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided in 2024 that the alleged conduct by the companies fell outside these protections. "Mexico alleges that the companies aided and abetted unlawful sales routing guns to Mexican drug cartels. The question presented is whether Mexico´s complaint plausibly pleads that conduct. We conclude it does not," liberal Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court. The case came to the Supreme Court at a complicated time for U.S.-Mexican relations as President Donald Trump pursues on-again, off-again tariffs on Mexican goods. Trump has also accused Mexico of doing too little to stop the flow of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and migrant arrivals at the border. Mexico's lawsuit, filed in Boston in 2021, accused the two companies of violating various U.S. and Mexican laws. Mexico claims that the companies have deliberately maintained a distribution system that included firearms dealers who knowingly sell weapons to third-party, or "straw," purchasers who then traffic guns to cartels in Mexico. The suit also accused the companies of unlawfully designing and marketing their guns as military-grade weapons to drive up demand among the cartels, including by associating their products with the American military and law enforcement. The gun companies said they make and sell lawful products. To avoid its lawsuit being dismissed under the 2005 law, Mexico was required to plausibly allege that the companies aided and abetted illegal gun sales and that such conduct was the "proximate cause" - a legal principle involving who is responsible for causing an injury - of the harms claimed by Mexico. Mexico in the lawsuit sought monetary damages of an unspecified amount and a court order requiring Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms to take steps to "abate and remedy the public nuisance they have created in Mexico." Gun violence fueled by trafficked U.S.-made firearms has contributed to a decline in business investment and economic activity in Mexico and forced its government to incur unusually high costs on services including healthcare, law enforcement and the military, according to the lawsuit. Mexico, a country with strict firearms laws, has said most of its gun homicides are committed with weapons trafficked from the United States and valued at more than $250 million annually. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case on March 4.
