Judge dismisses majority of $10 billion Mexican lawsuit against US arms manufacturers

A US judge has thrown out most of a $10bn (£7.8bn) lawsuit filed by Mexico against US arms manufacturers, saying they are responsible for a widespread arms trade that sees 500,000 weapons smuggled across the border each year.

Of the eight companies Mexico sued in 2021, six were dismissed by a judge, who said the country’s claims that U.S. gun manufacturers were responsible for trafficking weapons to violent drug cartels were “flimsy at best.”

The companies have long argued that Mexico cannot prove that its gun manufacturers are to blame for the violence.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry told Reuters it would pursue legal action and is considering an appeal.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Massachusetts — where several of the companies are based — argued that the “flood” of illegal guns into Mexico is “the foreseeable result of Defendants’ willful actions and business practices.”

While cases against many companies have been dismissed, Smith & Wesson Brands and Witmer Public Safety Group remain defendants following the judge’s ruling.

“This decision does not affect the legal proceedings against these two companies, nor does it release the other six companies from their responsibility,” Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Mexico is exploring various options, including a possible appeal to a higher court or to other federal courts in the U.S.,” the statement said.

The BBC has contacted the Mexican government for comment.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor wrote that Mexico had not sufficiently proven that the firearms sold in Massachusetts had caused harm to the country.

Mexico has long claimed that its extremely restrictive gun sales laws make it difficult to legally purchase weapons, leading criminal organizations to look to the U.S. to buy thousands of weapons.

There is only one gun store in Mexico, located in a military compound in Mexico City. Buyers there must submit to extensive background checks that can often take months.

Given the restrictions, Mexican authorities believe that much of the weapons heading south are purchased legally by “front men” who then illegally pass them on to criminals.

American arms manufacturers have long argued that Mexico cannot draw the line between violence and their businesses.

In addition, the companies say that U.S. law protects them from liability for misuse of their products.

According to Mexican government statistics, more than 30,000 people were murdered in Mexico in 2023.