https://www.axios.com/2024/01/23/mexico-lawsuit-american-gun-makers-appeals-courtA $10 billion lawsuit that Mexico's government filed against American gun makers whose weapons it says are used by drug cartels can go ahead, a U.S. appeals court ruled Monday.
Why it matters: The first-of-its kind case that's likely to be appealed comes as Mexican officials demand American authorities urgently investigate why cartels have U.S. Army weapons that are not available to U.S. citizens.
>It's estimated that up to half a million weapons are smuggled every year from the U.S. to Mexico, which has seen spiking gun violence despite strict regulations. There were more than 30,000 homicides in Mexico last year.
Of note: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston's decision means it's "the first court to uphold the right of a sovereign country to sue the gun industry," per a statement from Global Action on Gun Violence, which is involved in the case.
>It's also "the first federal appeals court to allow gun manufacturers to be held liable for facilitating gun violence since a U.S. gun industry protection law was enacted in 2005," the nonprofit added.
State of play: The suit, first filed against six gun manufacturers including Smith & Wesson and Glock in 2021, alleged the makers' loose controls allowed for the weapons to be illegally trafficked into Mexico and noted that U.S.-made guns were more likely to be used to kill Mexican citizens than Americans.
>An October 2022 ruling found that U.S. law under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act protects gun makers, who deny any wrongdoing, from being sued.
>Mexico's government argued in its appeal of that dismissal that the PLCAA does not provide immunity for harm caused abroad, or where gun companies violate the law.
