Mexico’s government has sued some of the biggest U.S gun manufacturers, accusing them of fuelling bloodshed through their reckless business practices and seeking as much as $10-billion in compensation.
The lawsuit alleges that the companies knew they were contributing to illegal arms trafficking, which has been linked to many deaths.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in the US state of Massachusetts but the indicted companies have not yet commented which include Smith & Wesson and Barrett Firearms, among others.
The Mexican government took the action “to put an end to the massive damage that the [companies] cause by actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels and other criminals in Mexico”.
Also, the Foreign Ministry said in a document related to the lawsuit that the gun manufacturers “are conscious of the fact that their products are trafficked and used in illicit activities against the civilian population and authorities of Mexico.
Mexico said the companies had used “marketing strategies to promote weapons that are ever more lethal, without mechanisms of security or traceability”.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said: “We are going to win the trial and we are going to drastically reduce illicit arms trafficking to Mexico.”
Mexican officials stressed that the lawsuit was not aimed at the US government. Mr Ebrard said he believed that President Joe Biden’s administration was willing to work with Mexico to curb arms trafficking.
But experts have cast doubt on Mexico’s likelihood of success with the lawsuit.
Lorenzo Meyer, an emeritus professor at the College of Mexico, told AFP news agency that US law “makes it almost impossible for gun manufacturers to be held responsible” for the illegal trade.
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