5 days ago
Supreme Court Kills Mexico's $10 Billion Lawsuit Against U.S. Gun Manufacturers
The Supreme Court ended Mexico's ongoing lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers, ruling Thursday the country can't legally sue the firearm companies and dealing a blow to gun control advocates who argue the lawsuit is necessary to hold manufacturers accountable for gun violence.
FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum attends a press conference at the National Palace in ... More Mexico City on April 2.
The Supreme Court was asked to determine the future of Mexico's lawsuit against U.S. firearm manufacturers, in which the country's government asked the companies to pay $10 billion in damages for allegedly 'deliberately aid[ing] and abett[ing] the unlawful sale of firearms' to Mexico's drug cartels.
Gun manufacturers asked justices to throw out a lower court's ruling allowing the lawsuit to move forward, and the court agreed with them unanimously, ending the lawsuit.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Mexico's lawsuit alleges U.S. firearm manufacturers know full well their products are being sold to drug cartels in Mexico, despite the companies claiming otherwise. The government alleges gun companies have taken steps that help their products be sold to cartels, such as intentionally selling to dealers known to work with the criminal organizations. Manufacturers also market firearms that intentionally cater to the cartels, the Mexican government claims, like Mexico-themed pistols engraved with a quote the government notes is a 'particular favorite' of the cartels. The firearm manufacturers oppose those allegations, claiming Mexico is just taking aim at 'how the American firearms industry has openly operated in broad daylight for years' and is using the lawsuit to try and force harsher gun control restrictions than what U.S. law requires. The Mexican government 'faults the defendants for producing common firearms like the AR-15; for allowing their products to hold more than ten rounds; [and] for failing to restrict the purchase of firearms by regular citizens,' the companies alleged to the Supreme Court, claiming, 'In Mexico's eyes, continuing these lawful practices amounts to aiding and abetting the cartels.'
The PLCAA was passed in 2005 and broadly prohibits manufacturers of firearms or firearm components from facing any civil lawsuits that stem from the 'criminal or unlawful misuse' of their products. In addition to the clause allowing lawsuits if companies 'knowingly' help aid and abet crimes, the law also states companies can still be sued for breach of contract, if anyone dies or gets injured due to a defect in the product's manufacturing or design, or if the company commits negligence by supplying their product to someone whom the company knows 'is likely to, and does, use the [firearm]
The Mexico case was one of two major gun cases the Supreme Court took up this term, with justices ruling in March to uphold Biden-era restrictions on 'ghost guns' that can be purchased as a kit and assembled at home, making them harder to trace. The 6-3 conservative court has faced widespread scrutiny for its handling of gun issues in recent years: Justices broadly weakened gun restrictions in a 2022 case over New York's concealed carry law, which led to gun laws being rolled back nationwide. During its term last year, the court upheld restrictions on domestic abusers owning guns, but also struck down the federal ban on 'bump stocks' that allow firearms to function like automatic weapons.
