The first-of-its-kind suit alleges U.S. weapons firms “design, market, distribute, and sell guns in ways they know routinely arm the drug cartels in Mexico.”

By Brett Wilkins, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 8-4-2021

Weapons confiscated by military in Reynosa, 2008, Photo: stopthedrugwar.org

In a historic move welcomed by U.S. gun control advocates, the Mexican government on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Massachusetts against American weapons manufacturers and suppliers, accusing them of negligent business practices enabling the illegal cross-border arms flow that contributes to Mexico’s record homicide rate.

The government of Mexico says the first-of-its-kind lawsuit (pdf), filed in U.S. federal court in Boston, seeks to “put an end to the massive damage that the defendants cause by actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels and other criminals in Mexico.” Continue reading →