The Supreme Court has dismissed a controversial lawsuit brought by Mexico against American firearms manufacturers, a move that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton supported through his joining of a multistate amicus brief.
This unanimous decision reflects the Supreme Court's alignment with the argument presented by Paxton, which maintains that American gun makers cannot be held accountable for the violence Mexico faces at the hands of cartels. According to Paxton's statement, "Mexico cannot blame American firearms companies for its ongoing internal war against the cartels, and in no way can a foreign nation be allowed to undermine our Second Amendment rights," as reported by the Texas Attorney General's official website.
In its lawsuit, Mexico accused prominent gun manufacturers, including Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms, of facilitating the illegal trafficking of weapons that end up in the hands of cartels across their nation. The suit attempted to argue these companies were partly responsible for the resulting criminal activities due to their products' use. However, the multistate brief, which Paxton joined, forcefully rebuffed these allegations.
The amicus brief suggested that Mexico has a range of alternatives to address its gun violence issues. "It could name and report the gun dealers who allegedly sell guns to drug cartels. It could attempt to negotiate with the United States to extradite individuals who trafficked guns to Mexico. It could finish its war with the cartels. It could even close its border with the United States. But it cannot end the domestic manufacturing of American firearms. Nor can it impose its policy preferences on the United States by judicial fiat," as per the official statement on the Texas Attorney General's website.
