The Mexican government sued US gun manufacturers and dealers in US Federal Court on Wednesday, alleging that their negligence and illegal business practices have caused extensive bloodshed in Mexico, and is seeking compensation, with an estimated loss of up to $ 10 billion.
An unusual lawsuit was filed in US Federal Court in Boston. Some of the biggest names in the arms industry are charged, including: Smith & Wesson Brands, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Beretta USA, Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, and Glock. The other defendant is Interstate Arms, a wholesaler in the Boston area. With the exception of one designated manufacturer, all other manufacturers sell weapons to distributors throughout the United States.
The manufacturer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Mexican government argued that these companies knew that their practices facilitated and facilitated the trafficking of firearms into Mexico. Mexico hopes to compensate for the damage caused by weapons in the country.
The lawsuit stated that the Mexican government “is taking this action to end the enormous losses caused by the defendant by actively promoting the illegal arms trade to Mexico by drug cartels and other criminals.”
According to the Ministry of Foreign Relations talk, the government estimates that 70% of the arms trafficked to Mexico come from the United States. In 2019 alone, at least 17,000 homicides were related to arms trafficking. The Ministry’s legal advisor, Alejandro Celorio, told reporters on Wednesday that the damage caused by arms smuggling is equivalent to between 1.7% and 2% of Mexico’s GDP. He said the government will seek at least $ 10 billion in compensation. Mexico’s GDP last year exceeded $ 1.2 trillion.
“We are not doing this to pressure the United States,” Celorio said. “We did this so that Mexico would not die.”
Mexico did not seek the opinion of the United States government on this matter, but made recommendations to the United States Embassy before filing a lawsuit.
The National Shooting Sport Foundation (NSSF) stated that it rejected Mexico’s claim that the US manufacturer was negligent in its business practices.
“The Mexican government is responsible for rampant crime and corruption within its borders”, Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president, said in a statement. He said the cartels used weapons illegally brought into Mexico or stolen from the Mexican army and law enforcement. The sale of firearms is strictly restricted in Mexico and controlled by the Ministry of National Defense. However, the country’s powerful drug cartel smuggled thousands of weapons into Mexico.
Al Jazeera reporter John Holman said when reporting from Mexico: “The border between Mexico and the United States is really easy to penetrate.” “When you enter this country, we have done it many times, not many officials come to inspect the cars.
” We spoke with the traffickers and they said: ‘Yes, we can even hide weapons. It is relatively easy for us to pass weapons. ” given the circumstances, “said Holman.
There were more than 36,000 murders in Mexico last year, despite President Andrés Manuel López Obrah Dole vowing to appease the country, but the death toll remains high. The national murder rate Mexico in 2020 remains unchanged at 29 per 100,000 residents.In comparison, the US homicide rate in 2019 was 5.8 per 100,000 residents.
At a public ceremony on Wednesday, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (Marcelo Ebrard) stated that his government hopes that weapons manufacturers will immediately stop the practice of causing deaths in his country.
He said that he believes that the US government not mentioned in the civil lawsuit is willing to cooperate with Mexico to stop the arms trade.
Ebrard is widely regarded as the 2024 presidential candidate and has emerged in recent years by promoting the issue of arms trafficking and lax gun control in the United States. On Tuesday, Ebrard traveled to El Paso, Texas to attend a ceremony marking the second anniversary of the 22 murders of Wal-Mart. The attacker was accused of deliberately targeting Mexicans.
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