Quick Hit:

The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 Thursday that Mexico’s lawsuit against American gun manufacturers cannot proceed under federal law. The ruling is a major victory for U.S. gunmakers and affirms their protections under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

Key Details:

• Mexico sued U.S. gunmakers in 2021, blaming them for cartel violence and claiming they “actively facilitate” gun trafficking.
• A U.S. appeals court allowed the case to proceed, but SCOTUS overturned that decision unanimously.
• Justice Elena Kagan wrote that manufacturers don’t sell directly to “bad-apple dealers,” undercutting Mexico’s liability claim.

Diving Deeper:

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled unanimously to block Mexico’s lawsuit that sought to hold American firearms manufacturers liable for gun violence committed by criminal cartels south of the border. The high court cited the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a 2005 federal statute that shields gun manufacturers and dealers from liability when crimes are committed with their products. Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the Court, emphasized that Mexico’s argument failed to account for the fact that manufacturers “do not directly supply any dealers, bad-apple or otherwise.”

Mexico originally filed the lawsuit in August 2021, targeting Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Century Arms, Colt, Glock, Ruger, Barrett, and distributor Interstate Arms. The suit alleged the companies caused “massive damage” by “actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking” of firearms into Mexico, where cartels then used them to terrorize the population.

While a U.S. district judge dismissed most of the claims in 2022, a panel from the First Circuit Court of Appeals allowed parts of the case to continue — prompting a coalition of 27 Republican attorneys general, led by Montana’s Austin Knudsen, to urge the Supreme Court to step in. “Mexico’s bad policies created the country’s gun violence problem,” Knudsen argued. “Rather than take responsibility, Mexico and anti-gun activists are trying to blame and bankrupt American companies that follow the law.”

During oral arguments in March, Smith & Wesson attorney Noel Francisco dismissed the lawsuit as absurd, comparing it to blaming beer companies for drunk driving.