Arizona court rules Mexico can proceed with lawsuit against five US gun dealers

A trial court in Arizona has ruled that the Mexican government may proceed in its trailblazing lawsuit against five US gun dealers, who stand accused of facilitating gun trafficking across the border into Mexico.

Mexico argues that the companies’ marketing campaigns and distribution practices mean that they are legally responsible for the bloodshed that their guns contribute to.

This is the second such case that the Mexican government has brought in US courts this year, having also accused US gun manufacturers of facilitating the cross-border arms traffic in a case in Massachusetts.

“[The Mexican lawsuits] emphasise the responsibility of companies regarding how they produce and sell their weapons,” said Carlos Pérez-Ricart, a political scientist in Mexico.

Gun sales are highly restricted in Mexico itself, where there is just one gun store, run by the state.

Yet the Mexican government estimates that 200,000 firearms are smuggled over the border from the US every year.

This fuels a level of insecurity and violence that is extraordinary in peacetime: for the past six years, Mexico has seen more than 30,000 homicides a year.

Some 70% of the guns used in homicides in Mexico have serial numbers that can be traced back to US gun shops.

Between the two cases, Mexico is seeking $25bn in damages. But it also seeks to shine a light on industry practices and force change, thereby reducing the flow of weapons into Mexico and the gun violence they add to.

In both cases, the gun companies sought protection under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which prevents them from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products.

The trial court in Massachusetts initially dismissed Mexico’s case on those grounds, but