A far-reaching case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court may allow foreign countries to sue American gun makers. As NBC 5’s Phil Prazan reports Mexico blames them for the country’s long-running violence.
The government of Mexico claims Mexican-based cartels use American-made weapons for their criminal violence. The country's lawyers are asking the American judicial system to force gun companies to pay billions of dollars in damages.
The case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court may have far-reaching impacts. If Mexican lawyers make their case, it could open the door to other foreign governments filing lawsuits against American companies.
In Mexico vs. Smith and Wesson. the country filed a lawsuit against seven major gunmakers, blaming them for the long history of violence in Mexico.
"This is clearly not what our founders intended," said Dudley Brown, from the National Association for Gun Rights, at a press conference in Washington D.C. outside the court.
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Gun rights advocates submitted a petition to the court, supported by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, urging the high court to dismiss the case.
Texas Congressman Chip Roy argued to the small crowd gathered outside, that Mexico's problems were their responsibility; and not the responsibility of American gun companies or the country's constitutional right to own guns.
“It is Mexico who has allowed the cartels to be armed but their citizens not to be armed," said Rep. Roy.
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The news conference was consistently interrupted by a protestor.
The Mexican lawsuit is a direct challenge to a 2005 American law that protects gun manufacturers from lawsuits when a crime is committed with a weapon they made. Mexican lawyers claim since Mexico has strict gun laws - only allowing one single gun store in the entire country - the cartels are getting their weapons from America.
An appeals court revived the lawsuit and the U.S. Supreme Court took up the case. The country is asking for billions in damages from the companies.
