Tension between Mexico and the United States continues to escalate as Mexico urges the U.S. to enact legal proceedings, calling on a U.S. court to pursue a $10 billion lawsuit against gun manufacturers.
This week, Mexico called on a U.S. appeals court to pursue a $10 billion lawsuit that would hold U.S. gun manufacturers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of guns to drug cartels across the U.S. – Mexico border. The request comes as the topic of drug cartels has drawn the ire of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), Mexico’s president.
The request stems from a three-judge panel from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston that had questioned if a lower-court had wrongly concluded that a U.S. law prevented Mexico from suing Smith & Wesson Brands, Ruger & Co., Sturm, and the like. The law in question is the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which provides broad protection to the firearms industry from lawsuits over the misuse of their products.
However, Mexico’s lawyers argue that the law only prevents lawsuits from injuries that occur in the United States and that it does not cover manufacturers or distributors from being sued over liability from weapons being trafficked to Mexican criminals.
Steve Shadowen, a lawyer from Mexico, explained his approach, saying that allowing the case to proceed would allow Mexico to seek damages as well as a court order for the 20,000 deaths a year they blame on the manufacturers.
Shadowen explained that what Mexico wants “is an injunction to make these defendants start paying attention to their distribution systems.” “And it’s only U.S. courts that can provide that injunctive relief,” he added.
U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow the use of America’s military against drug cartels, and this drew a swift response from AMLO, who criticized the U.S. for entertaining such a measure. President Donald Trump (R) has publicly endorsed the measure.
