(AbsoluteNews.com) – In 2005, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to protect firearms manufacturers and sellers from being held liable for crimes committed using guns they manufactured. For almost two decades, the law has protected gun manufacturers and, by extension, the Second Amendment. Now, a foreign government is threatening those protections and Americans are helping.
The Lawsuit
Last year, the Mexican government filed a lawsuit against several US gun manufacturers accusing them of violating the import laws and lethal negligence on an international scale. They’re seeking $10 billion in damages from the American companies, including:
- Barrett Firearms Manufacturing,
- Smith & Wesson,
- Century International Arms,
- Beretta USA,
- Beretta Holding,
- Glock GES.M.B.H.,
- Colt’s Manufacturing Company,
- Strum,
- Glock,
- Interstate Arms,
- Witmer Public Safety Group, and
- Ruger & Co.
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs top legal advisor, Alejandro Celorio Alcantara, said his country made the decision to sue after a number of high-profile shootings across the border. He referenced the 2019 massacre of three Mexican-American independent Mormon women and six children. He said the country only has one gun store in its nation, but hundreds of thousands of guns are trafficked from the US every year. His comments were made during an interview with The Intercept in December last year.
Mexico claims up to 90% of the guns recovered at crime scenes in its country are made by American manufacturers. It accuses the companies of marketing directly to cartels and criminals.
Although the Mexican government knows about the PLCAA law, it’s arguing the law doesn’t apply to lawsuits filed by other countries. Thirteen Democratic US states have now joined the lawsuit, apparently to support Mexico’s claim and hurt American companies.
The Mexican government claims the suit isn’t intended to threaten the Second Amendment rights of Americans, but the companies argue that’s exactly what will happen.
Gun Manufacturers’ Positions
The gun manufacturers have asked for the courts to dismiss the lawsuit based on the PLCAA. In a 58-page motion to dismiss, the companies slammed Mexico for trying to bankrupt them, thereby threatening the Second Amendment rights of Americans because of their own failures. They said Mexico wants to remove all firearms from its country but refuses to take the steps to rid the nation of corruption, secure its border, or fund its police and military. The country fails to do it because it “would require time, resources and the political will to take responsibility for a massive social problem.”
A US federal court will now decide whether to allow the suit to move forward.
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