A U.S. judge dismissed on Wednesday much of Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit seeking to hold U.S. gun manufacturers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of firearms to violent drug cartels across the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor in Boston dismissed claims, opened a new tab against six of the eight companies that Mexico sued in 2021, including Sturm, Ruger (RGR.N), opened a Mexico’s foreign ministry responded by saying that legal action against the six firms would continue and that it was considering presenting an appeal or resorting to other U.S. courts.
“This decision does not affect the lawsuit against these two companies nor does it absolve the other six companies of responsibility,” the ministry told Reuters.
The two remaining defendants are Smith & Wesson Brands (SWBI.O), opens a new tab, which 2021 announced it was relocating to Tennessee from Massachusetts over gun regulations, and wholesaler Witmer Public Safety Group.new tab and Glock, calling their connection to Massachusetts, where the case was filed, “gossamer-thin at best.”
In his decision, Saylor said none of the six companies was incorporated in Massachusetts, and that Mexico did not show that any firearms sold in Massachusetts caused it harm.
While Mexico argued that statistically, it was likely that some firearms sold in Massachusetts were eventually illegally trafficked to Mexico, Saylor said the country lacked sufficient evidence to establish jurisdiction.
Other companies dismissed from the case included Barrett Firearms Manufacturing; Colt’s Manufacturing, a unit of Colt CZ Group (CZG.PR), opens new tab; Century International Arms, and Beretta.
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