The government of Mexico filed the lawsuit in October, arguing that the five dealers in Arizona were responsible for the arms sales. She said that those weapons ended up in the possession of people who moved them from the nearby border with Mexico.
Mexico has strict gun laws, but the government alleges that drug cartels use guns purchased in the United States to commit crimes in Mexico.
The motion, filed in US district court in Arizona, says dealers are protected by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act (PLCAA), a 2005 law that protects those arms manufacturers and sellers from liability when their products are used in crime. .
Mexico’s lawsuit against the traders in October came days after a US federal judge in late September dismissed Mexico’s landmark $10 billion lawsuit against US arms manufacturers seeking to hold them accountable. to facilitate arms trafficking to drug cartels.
The judge in that case cited the PLCAA in his decision, which Mexico is appealing.
“As expected, the defendants argue that they can continue to sell weapons to anyone,” said Alejandro Celorio, the top legal adviser to Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“They point out that there is nothing the Mexican government can do to stop it or hold them accountable,” he told Reuters on Saturday.
Celorio told Reuters in October that the Mexico lawsuits aim to address the “root causes” of gun violence in Mexico.
Attorneys for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Boyle and Nate Raymond; editing by Diane Craft)
By Nate Raymond and Brendan O’Boyle
