The Supreme Court has been asked to rule on whether the Mexican government can sue U.S. gun manufacturers, alleging the gun industry's complicity in the havoc caused by drug cartels, The Washington Times reports. Mexico asserts that these companies conducted unethical business practices by selling firearms capable of holding more than 10 rounds, including semi-automatic rifles. The Mexican government, which says the guns were smuggled across the border to commit crimes, is asking for billions in damages and for courts to impose an injunction on the companies so they can meet new safety requirements. The defendants are Smith & Wesson Brands Inc., Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc., Glock Inc., Beretta U.S.A. Corp., Witmer Public Safety Group Inc., Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc., Interstate Arms, Colt’s Manufacturing Co. and Century International Arms Inc.
In their appeal to the Supreme Court, the companies argue that the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong in permitting Mexico’s lawsuit to move forward, warning that other foreign governments could file lawsuits “all seeking to distract from their own political failings by laying the blame for criminal violence at the feet of the American firearms industry.” Mexico argues in its complaint that 70% to 90% of guns recovered from crimes are trafficked from the United States. The district court dismissed the case under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, reasoning it bars lawsuits against firearm companies when their products are misused. The 1st Circuit reversed that decision, reasoning that the lawsuit is valid because the gun companies may be aiding and abetting the cartel. It would take four justices to vote in favor of reviewing the 1st Circuit’s ruling. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen filed a brief with the high court, joined by more than two dozen other states, asking the justices to correct the lower court’s decision, warning that “Americans’ Second Amendment rights could be threatened.”
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