Mexico redoubles its legal offensive against arms trafficking: "250,000 military pistols and rifles come from Massachusetts"

A member of the United States Army takes a shooting test at Camp Edwards in Massachusetts in January 2021. Jessica Rinaldi (Getty Images)

Mexico's legal battle against arms trafficking continues.

The lawsuit against 11 manufacturers and distributors in the United States for their responsibility in the transfer of weapons to the southern neighbor had been answered by the companies at the end of last year.

In November, the powerful US industry questioned both the competence of the court where the lawsuit was filed, Massachusetts, as well as its responsibility in the wave of violence that is sweeping the country.

Mexico's response has come to this Tuesday through a brief presented to the court where it specifies that during the last decade it has confiscated more than 250,000 military pistols and rifles from the State of Massachusetts.

The campaign against arms trafficking is an old demand of Mexico on the bilateral agenda.

The Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has raised it to one of its priorities, insisting on each diplomatic meeting and placing the matter even on the United Nations Security Council.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard summarized Mexico's position on his social networks on Tuesday: “250,000 weapons from Massachusetts were confiscated in Mexico, all linked to homicides and crimes against our society.

That's why the demand and that's why we will win.

No more guns."

250 thousand weapons from Massachusetts were confiscated in Mexico, all linked to homicides and crimes against our society.

That's why the demand and that's why we will win.

No more weapons.

pic.twitter.com/uh8bJiChOv

– Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) February 1, 2022

The defendant companies, among which are classic names such as Barrett, Colt, Glock or Ruger, also alleged in their first response that they enjoy immunity under current US law.

Mexico specifies for its part that "they do not enjoy immunity for damages caused in Mexican territory" since "the defendants acted negligently by supplying and distributing their products to vendors who participate in the initial arms trade."

For Mexico, the causal relationship between the activity of US companies and the violence in their country is proven "by showing the number of weapons from companies from Massachusetts that were found in Mexico."

The companies' allegations focused primarily on Mexico's lack of jurisdiction to sue them in their own country: "The Mexican government is not a citizen of Massachusetts."

The Mexican response has focused on influencing that "companies market, distribute and sell weapons in such a way that they know that they habitually arm drug cartels in Mexico."

The letter also specifies that they hide behind the fact that they can sell to any distributor that has a federal license in the US, "regardless of the red bands that indicate that they circumvent the law and go to move the weapons of the accused to Mexico."

The Government is seeking compensation for damages that will be defined by the court, but which, according to estimates by the Foreign Ministry, could reach 2% of Mexico's GDP.

The demand is based not only on the lethal violence due to the flow of illegal weapons, but also on economic damages, such as the loss of public resources to sustain the war against criminal groups, as well as losses to industries such as tourism.

According to official figures from the Executive, the illegal sale of these manufacturers and distributors was behind at least 17,000 murders in 2019 and that 70% to 90% of the weapons seized in its territory come from the United States.

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