{"id":2373531,"date":"2024-11-26T08:11:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T13:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-should-nuke-mexicos-lawsuit-against-u-s-gun-makers\/"},"modified":"2024-11-26T08:16:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T13:16:56","slug":"scotus-should-nuke-mexicos-lawsuit-against-u-s-gun-makers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-should-nuke-mexicos-lawsuit-against-u-s-gun-makers\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS Should Nuke Mexico&#8217;s Lawsuit Against U.S. Gun Makers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscotus-should-nuke-mexicos-lawsuit-against-u-s-gun-makers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2373531&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u2064 text discusses\u200c the lingering \u200bnegative impact of former Mexican President Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador&#8217;s policies \u200bon the\u2064 United States, particularly concerning drug and human trafficking through the U.S.-Mexico border. Even after his departure from \u2063office, the consequences of his administration&#8217;s border management \u200bare\u200b expected to be felt for years. The ongoing lawsuit\u2063 from\u2063 the Mexican government against American gun manufacturers, *Smith &#038; Wesson Brands, Inc. \u2064v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos*, \u200caims to hold these companies accountable for the gun violence associated with Mexican cartels, despite the vast majority\u2062 of \u200dfirearms smuggled into\u200d Mexico being a small fraction of U.S. sales.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit, which seeks \u2064$10 billion in damages, \u2063alleges that \u2064firearms companies\u2064 knowingly contribute to the\u2062 criminal market\u200b by\u2063 having lax distribution practices. While\u200c some defendants have already been dismissed from the\u200c case, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-takes-credit-for-saving-ken-paxton-from-impeachment-conviction\/\" title=\"Trump claims credit for &#039;saving&#039; Paxton from impeachment conviction.\">legal arguments presented<\/a> could set \u2062a precedent that enables broader \u200dtort claims against U.S. businesses,\u200d potentially undermining existing protections under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms\u2064 Act (PLCAA) of 2005, which shields gun manufacturers from liability for the \u200dmisuse of their products.<\/p>\n<p>L\u00f3pez Obrador&#8217;s tenure was marked by a lack of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alleged-terrorists-arrested-in-denmark-on-suspicion-of-planning-attack-on-jews\/\" title=\"Suspected terrorists apprehended in Denmark for plotting against Jewish community\">cross-border cooperation<\/a> in \u200daddressing\u200d cartel activities and drug trafficking, reflected in his dismissive comments regarding the U.S. opioid crisis \u2064and reluctance\u200b to address\u200b fentanyl exportation from Mexico. His contradictory stance on the accountability for gun violence in Mexico, emphasizing U.S. responsibility\u2063 while simultaneously seeking damages from\u2064 American manufacturers, raises \u2062questions about his administration&#8217;s sincerity in combating drug-related violence.<\/p>\n<p>the article critiques L\u00f3pez Obrador&#8217;s handling \u200dof \u2063border issues and \u200chis ongoing efforts to shift blame onto \u200bthe \u2062U.S.,\u2062 while also highlighting the challenges posed by the legal ramifications of Mexico&#8217;s lawsuit against American gun companies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Although former Mexican President Andr&eacute;s Manuel L&oacute;pez Obrador left office in October, his policies continue to harm the United States. The consequences of the unimpeded flow of drug and human trafficking across our border during his tenure will linger for years.<\/p>\n<p>His government&rsquo;s lawsuit pending before the U.S. Supreme Court,<em> Smith &amp; Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, <\/em>could also upend our tort law system and hurt American businesses<em>. <\/em>It&rsquo;s an attempt to blame American gun manufacturers and distributors for the damage caused by <em>Mexican criminals in Mexico<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Mexico&rsquo;s lawsuit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/23\/23-1141\/307919\/20240418144202341_Smith%2520_%2520Wesson%2520Cert%2520Petition%2520Appendix.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alleges<\/a> that several firearms companies are &ldquo;deliberate and willing participants [in criminal operations], reaping profits from the criminal market they knowingly supply.&rdquo; Mexico asked for $10 billion in damages due to what they call &ldquo;willfully blind, standardless distribution practices&rdquo; that lead to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/jan\/22\/mexican-government-lawsuit-against-american-gun-manufacturers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">small percentage<\/a> (2.2 percent) of American guns that end up smuggled across the southern border and used by the cartels.<\/p>\n<p>Although several defendants have already been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/us-judge-tosses-much-mexicos-lawsuit-against-us-gun-makers-2024-08-07\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dismissed<\/a> from the case on jurisdictional grounds, the legal theories underlying the case against the remaining defendants could disrupt multiple American industries with more tort claims. Mexico would expand proximate causation to broad foreseeability. It would also make a business&rsquo;s knowledge that its products are being misused by third parties the justification for a tort claim of &ldquo;aiding and abetting&rdquo; those bad actors.<\/p>\n<p>Making the case even more untenable are the explicit protections for American firearms manufacturers and dealers within the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) of 2005. The law bars lawsuits against firearms companies stemming from the criminal misuse of their products. This law was passed in the wake of lawsuits brought by <em>local governments in the United States<\/em> that attempted to hold gun manufacturers liable for gang violence.<\/p>\n<p>Even interpreted as a political vehicle to express frustration with the American gun industry, this case is part of former President L&oacute;pez Obrador&rsquo;s extensive record of bad-faith engagement with U.S.&ndash;Mexico border politics. Our southern border has long been a site of northbound human and drug trafficking, along with southbound gun and currency trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>L&oacute;pez Obrador, however, spent the six years of his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">term scorning cross-national efforts<\/a> and shirking Mexico&rsquo;s role in stopping cartels from exporting fentanyl. He often expressed disdain for U.S. government requests to increase action against the cartels, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mexico-fentanyl-epidemic-overdoses-26f735a54ee0ba075c394ce85aef03d0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">telling<\/a> U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, &ldquo;Here, we do not produce fentanyl, and we do not have consumption of fentanyl.&rdquo; While this is untrue on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rand.org\/pubs\/external_publications\/EP68838.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">both<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/fentanyl-use-spreads-deeper-into-mexico-worrying-authorities-2024-02-20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">counts<\/a>, it indicates the approach his administration took to the illicit opioid crisis, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mexico-fentanyl-epidemic-overdoses-26f735a54ee0ba075c394ce85aef03d0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suggesting<\/a> Americans fix it by addressing &ldquo;their problem of social decay.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The hypocrisy of suggesting Americans bear full responsibility for our opioid epidemic while gun manufacturers owe Mexico billions of dollars due to Mexico&rsquo;s gun violence epidemic is clear. But it is part of an odd pattern of public statements and actions from L&oacute;pez Obrador that seemed to run interference for the cartels.<\/p>\n<p>L&oacute;pez Obrador made <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com.mx\/amlo-visita-por-sexta-vez-badiraguato-cuna-del-cartel-de-sinaloa-a-mi-me-gusta-venir\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">six official visits<\/a> as president to Joaqu&iacute;n &ldquo;El Chapo&rdquo; Guzm&aacute;n&rsquo;s rural hometown of Badiraguato. During one of these, he met and shook hands with Guzm&aacute;n&rsquo;s mother. That led to an onslaught of criticism from Mexican opposition figures. He followed this with baffling <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mexico-president-drug-cartels-violence-8f2c0ef01c2e4578c089d67adb02e447\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claims<\/a> earlier this year that cartel members &ldquo;respect the citizenry&rdquo; of Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>This does not mesh with the horrific picture of cartel violence against civilians Mexico&rsquo;s lawsuit cites. And the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/mexico-amlo-lopez-obrador-campaign-drug-cartels\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. investigations<\/a> suggesting cartels funneled approximately $2 million to L&oacute;pez Obrador&rsquo;s first campaign for president back in 2006 make the situation and case more suspect.<\/p>\n<p>Why did L&oacute;pez Obrador launch this case against American gun manufacturers near the end of his term as president? Perhaps it serves as cover for his legacy of failure in domestic public safety.<\/p>\n<p>In the face of brutal violence by the cartels, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/mexico-army-disband-pacifist-andres-manuel-lopez-obrador-national-guard-police-a8983811.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> his desire to disband the country&rsquo;s military and declare Mexico &ldquo;a pacifist country.&rdquo; This ideology was at the center of his &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/abrazos-no-balazos-evaluating-amlos-security-initiatives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hugs, not gunshots<\/a>&rdquo; campaign to go after the alleged root causes of organized crime, like poverty and unemployment.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3LjjBsB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">result?<\/a> L&oacute;pez Obrador likely presided over one of the deadliest periods in Mexico&rsquo;s modern democratic history, with homicide totals far surpassing each of his recent predecessors and more than tripling since just three administrations prior.<\/p>\n<p>The United States and Mexico both stand to benefit from cooperating against gun and drug trafficking efforts. But this lawsuit is just a token gesture to cover Mexico&rsquo;s failure to protect its citizens. Whatever the motivation for Mexico&rsquo;s case, it is exactly the type of lawsuit the PLCAA was explicitly passed to prevent, and the Supreme Court should dismiss it.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matthew Forys is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-former-ag-barr-initiated-spying-program-on-americans-back-in-1992\/\" title=\"FLASHBACK: Former AG Barr Initiated Spying Program on Americans Back in 1992\">executive vice president<\/a> of Landmark Legal Foundation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>L\u00f3pez Obrador&#8217;s policies still negatively impact the U.S<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3556,"featured_media":2373532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/48134258448_8d31f82e4b_k.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[45715,32779,45714,6994,32209],"class_list":["post-2373531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-gun-manufacturers","tag-legal-issues","tag-mexico-lawsuit","tag-scotus","tag-second-amendment"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/48134258448_8d31f82e4b_k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3556"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2373531"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2373535,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373531\/revisions\/2373535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2373532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2373531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2373531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2373531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}