Federal Judge Tosses Much of Mexico’s Lawsuit Against US Gunmakers

A U.S. judge dismissed on Wednesday much of Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit seeking to hold U.S. gun manufacturers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of firearms to violent drug cartels across the U.S.-Mexico border.

U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor in Boston dismissed claims against six of the eight companies Mexico had sued in 2021, including Sturm, Ruger and Glock, citing jurisdictional problems.

He called the companies’ connection to Massachusetts “gossamer-thin at best.” None of the six were incorporated in the state and Saylor said Mexico had not shown that any firearms sold specifically in Massachusetts had caused it any harm.

While Mexico argued that statistically it was likely that some firearms sold in Massachusetts were eventually illegally trafficked to Mexico, Saylor said the country lacked sufficient evidence to establish jurisdiction.

Other companies he dismissed claims against included Barrett Firearms Manufacturing; Colt’s Manufacturing Company, a unit of Colt CZ Group; Century International Arms; and Beretta.

The ruling left two defendants remaining to face Mexico’s lawsuit: Smith & Wesson Brands, which in 2021 announced it was relocating from Massachusetts to Tennessee over gun regulations, and a wholesaler, Witmer Public Safety Group.

Lawrence Keane, the general counsel of the industry trade group National Shooting Sports Foundation, welcomed Saylor’s decision to reject Mexico’s “obvious forum-shopping scheme” and was optimistic the U.S. Supreme Court would toss the rest of the case.

The companies in April asked the Supreme Court to review a federal appeals court’s decision holding that the case qualified for an exception to a law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that grants the firearms industry broad protection from lawsuits over the misuse of their products.

Representatives for Mexico did not respond to requests for comment.

Mexico in its lawsuit alleged the companies undermined its strict gun laws by designing, marketing and distributing military-style assault weapons in ways they knew would arm drug cartels and fuel murders, extortions and kidnappings in the country.

Mexico says over 500,000 guns are trafficked annually from the U.S. into Mexico, of which more than 68% are made by the companies it sued.

Mexico said the smuggling has contributed to high rates of gun-related deaths, declining investment and economic activity and a need for it to spend more on law enforcement and public safety.