Mexico sues U.S. gun makers over flow of arms across border
MEXICO CITY, Mexico — The Mexican government is filing a civil lawsuit in the U.S. against major gun manufacturers, alleging that negligent business practices contribute to the illegal flow of weapons over the border, The Washington Post and Reuters reported Wednesday.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensation for damages from Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc.; Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc; Beretta U.S.A. Corp; Glock, Inc; Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.; and Colt’s Manufacturing Co. Llc., for generating illegal arms trafficking that has fueled drug cartel violence in Mexico, where gun sales are heavily restricted, according to lawsuit documents reviewed by the news outlets that are being filed with U.S. federal court in Boston.
Those documents, supplied by Mexico's Foreign Ministry, contend U.S. arms manufacturers “are conscious of the fact that their products are trafficked and used in illicit activities against the civilian population and authorities of Mexico... Nonetheless, they continue to prioritize their economic benefit, and use marketing strategies to promote weapons that are ever more lethal, without mechanisms of security or traceability.”
A Mexican government study released last year, and cited by The Post, estimated that roughly 2.5 million illicit American guns had poured across the border over the past decade.
The Post's reporting also noted that the timing of the lawsuit coincides with the second anniversary of El Paso's Walmart shooting massacre.
"The suit was scheduled to be filed a day after the anniversary of the 2019 mass shooting in the border city of El Paso, Tex., which left 23 people dead. The suspect said that he targeted Latinos, according to U.S. authorities. Mexico’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, had vowed after that attack to study legal actions because of the harm to Mexican citizens."
