Overview

• On June 5, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act bars Mexico’s lawsuit seeking to hold American gunmakers liable for cartel violence.
• Mexico filed its complaint in 2021 against seven manufacturers, including Smith & Wesson, Colt and Glock, seeking about $10 billion in damages and court orders to change industry practices.
• Justice Elena Kagan wrote that Mexico failed to plausibly allege that manufacturers took affirmative steps to aid and abet unlawful arms sales under the statute’s predicate exception.
• The suit was dismissed by a federal district court, revived by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and defended by gun rights groups and Republican lawmakers before reaching the high court.
• Mexico contends that up to 90 percent of firearms recovered at its crime scenes originate in the United States, highlighting ongoing disputes over cross-border trafficking and regulation.