In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled against Mexico’s lawsuit seeking to hold American gun manufacturers accountable for cartel violence. The ruling reinforces the legal protections granted to firearm companies under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a federal law shielding gunmakers from liability for crimes committed with their products.
Mexico had argued that U.S. gun manufacturers knowingly facilitated illegal firearm trafficking by selling weapons to straw purchasers, who then supplied them to drug cartels. The lawsuit, filed in 2021, sought $10 billion in damages and demanded changes to industry practices. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Mexico failed to plausibly allege that gunmakers actively participated in unlawful sales, thereby upholding their immunity under PLCAA.
Justice Elena Kagan, delivering the court’s opinion, stated: _“The predicate exception allows for accomplice liability only when a plaintiff makes a plausible allegation that a gun manufacturer participated in a firearms violation as something it wished to bring about and sought to make succeed. Because Mexico’s complaint fails to do so, the defendant manufacturers retain their PLCAA-granted immunity.”
The ruling comes at a time of heightened tensions between the U.S. and Mexico over border security, migration, and drug trafficking. While Mexico maintains strict firearm regulations, American-made guns continue to flow south, contributing to cartel violence. According to reports, between 200,000 to 500,000 firearms are trafficked into Mexico annually, with nearly half of all crime-scene weapons originating from the U.S.