Supreme Court to Hear Smith & Wesson’s Bid to End Mexico’s $10 Billion Lawsuit

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has agreed to hear Smith & Wesson’s bid to end Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against the renowned American gun makers.

On August 4, 2021, Breitbart News reported the government of Mexico was suing six American gun makers and one Boston-area wholesaler, claiming “massive damage” created by “unlawful trafficking” of firearms to cartel and criminal elements.

The government of Mexico’s suit opened with trafficking claims and named the six manufacturers and the wholesaler:

Plaintiff Estados Unidos Mexicanos (the “Government”), a sovereign nation, brings this action 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. Almost all guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico — 70% to 90% of them — were trafficked from the U.S. The Defendants include the six U.S.-based manufacturers whose guns are most often recovered in Mexico — Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Century Arms, Colt, Glock, and Ruger. Another manufacturer defendant is Barrett, whose .50 caliber sniper rifle is a weapon of war prized by the drug cartels. The remaining defendant — Interstate Arms — is a Boston-area wholesaler through which all but one of the defendant manufacturers sell their guns for re-sale to gun dealers throughout the U.S.

The number of entities being sued eventually reached eight in total.

On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor dismissed the major portion of the lawsuit. However, the BBC reported that “Smith & Wesson Brands and Witmer Public Safety Group remain defendants following the judge’s ruling.”

On Friday, October 4, 2024, Reuters noted that SCOTUS announced it will “hear a bid by U.S. gun maker Smith & Wesson and firearms wholesaler Interstate Arms to throw out Mexico’s lawsuit accusing them of aiding the illegal trafficking of firearms to Mexican drug cartels.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly: awrhawkins@breitbart.com.