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The U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined to side with American gun companies seeking to dismiss Mexico’s lawsuit, which alleges that those companies fuel cartel violence by aiding illegal gun trafficking.
Mexico’s 2021 lawsuit accuses Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms of knowingly supplying weapons to dealers who sell to traffickers. A lower court allowed the case to proceed, but the companies argued they are shielded by the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
The companies’ lawyer, Noel Francisco, compared the case to holding Budweiser liable for drunk driving, a concern echoed by conservative justices.
“In the U.S., you have to wait until you [are 21 to] buy Budweiser," said Ieva Jusionyte, author of the book Exit Wounds: How America's Guns Fuel Violence across the Border, "but you can buy an AR-15 or 10 AR-15's or 100 AR-15's when you are only 18 years old.”
Gun violence fueled by U.S. firearms continues to impact Mexico’s economy, security, and migration. As President Trump pressures Mexico on fentanyl and migration, Mexico is pushing the U.S. to address gun trafficking politically.
“This narrative changing guns are part of the conversation about migration and about drug trafficking so that’s already that is an important achievement of this lawsuit," Jusionyte added.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling by June.
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