(CNN) — A federal appeals has ruled that Mexico can sue a group of US gun manufacturers, finding that the country’s claims are “statutorily exempt” from a law that typically protects the companies from liability.
Mexico filed the lawsuit in 2021, alleging the defendants – among them brands including Smith & Wesson, Colt and Glock – “design, market, distribute and sell guns in ways” that arm Mexican drug cartels, contributing significantly to a rise in gun violence within Mexico, despite strong regulations.
The complaint was previously dismissed by a US district court, which ruled Mexico’s claims “were barred by the Protection of Law Commerce in Arms Act,” according to the ruling published Monday by the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
But the US Circuit Court disagreed with the lower court’s ruling and on Monday, the court in Boston found “that Mexico’s complaint plausibly alleges a type of claim that is statutorily exempt from the PLCAA’s general prohibition.”
“We therefore reverse the district court’s holding that the PLCAA bars Mexico’s common law claims, and we remand for further proceedings.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade group, suggested previously the lawsuit and its targets were misplaced.
“The Mexican government should focus on bringing the Mexican drug cartels to justice in Mexican courtrooms,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane, “not filing a baseless lawsuit in an American court to deflect attention from its disgraceful and corrupt failure to protect its citizens.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 CNN. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)