Mexico sues US gunmakers over arms trafficking, deadly violence

A rift has erupted between US and Mexico over arms trafficking, with the Mexican government suing some of the biggest American gun manufacturers, saying they are fueling bloodshed through lax controls and reckless business practices.

The lawsuit — filed in US federal court in Boston — seeks as much as $10bn in compensation from the American companies.

Mexican authorities say the lax controls contribute to the illegal flow of weapons over the border, arguing that US-made weapons have “fueled an explosion in homicides” in Mexico over the past decade.

The lawsuit names US companies including Smith & Wesson Brands, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Beretta USA, Glock and Colt’s Manufacturing Co.

The suit says 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."

Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, has said, “If we don’t file a suit like this and win it, they’re never going to understand, they’re going to continue doing the same thing and we will continue having deaths every day in our country.”

Ebrard said, "We are going to win the trial and we are going to drastically reduce illicit arms trafficking to Mexico."

Mexico has been grappling with heavily-armed cartel-led deadly violence in recent years, with cartels, who had been involved in drug trade, splintering into smaller, feuding groups that have diversified into extortion, kidnapping and other criminal activities.

In 2019 alone, more than 17,000 murders in Mexico were linked to trafficked weapons.

A Mexican government study said around 2.5 million illicit American guns have poured across the border over the past decade.

The Mexican government said criminal organizations buy thousands of pistols, rifles, assault weapons and ammunition in supermarkets, on the internet and at arms fairs in the US which are then used to commit crimes in Mexico.

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that 70% of firearms recovered in Mexico between 2014 and 2018 had come from the US.

According to a document from the Mexican Foreign Ministry, the lawsuit maintains that the US arms manufacturers “are conscious of the fact that their products are trafficked and used in illicit activities” in Mexico.

“Nonetheless, they continue to prioritize their economic benefit, and use marketing strategies to promote weapons that are ever more lethal, without mechanisms of security or traceability,” it continued.

Mexico is awash with American weapons as cross-border trafficking has created a growing pool of weapons that circulate among armed groups in Mexico.

“Because of the abundance of firearms, now every little gangster has AK-47s or Barrett .50s,” said Ioan Grillo, author of the book “Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels.” was quoted by the Washington Post as saying.

“State police and municipal police have kind of melted away,” Grillo said. “They’re not going to fight against guys with .50-calibers.”

Alejandro Hope, a Mexico City-based security consultant said the legal action “sends a statement and creates a pressure point with the Biden administration,” adding that, “But I don’t think the Mexican government is expecting to win.”

A US law that took effect in 2005 shields gun manufacturers from most civil liability claims.

Analysts said US law "makes it almost impossible for American gun manufacturers to be held responsible" for the illegal trade.

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