[ad_1]
Officials said Mexico is seeking damages, estimated at up to 10 billion U.S. dollars.
The Mexican government sued American gun manufacturers and distributors in the U.S. Federal Court on Wednesday, claiming that their negligence and illegal business practices caused huge bloodshed in Mexico.
This unusual lawsuit was filed in the US Federal Court in Boston. Some of the biggest names in the gun industry are indicted, including: Smith & Wesson Brands, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Beretta USA, Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, and Glock. The other defendant is Interstate Arms, a wholesaler in the Boston area that sells all firearms except designated manufacturers to dealers across the United States.
The manufacturer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Mexican government argues that these companies know that their practices can help and facilitate the trafficking of guns to Mexico. Mexico hopes to compensate for the damage caused by guns in the country.
On June 26, 2020, a forensic technician took pictures of body armor at the crime scene after assassinating Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Haveci in the upscale neighborhood of Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico [File: Luis Cortes/Reuters]The lawsuit stated that the Mexican government “takes this action to end the huge losses caused by the defendant by actively promoting the illegal trafficking of guns to Mexico by drug cartels and other criminals.”
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government estimates that 70% of weapons trafficked to Mexico originate from the United States. In 2019 alone, at least 17,000 homicides were related to arms trafficking.
The ministry’s legal adviser, Alejandro Celorio, told reporters on Wednesday that the damage caused by gun smuggling is equivalent to 1.7% to 2% of Mexico’s GDP. He said the government will seek at least US$10 billion in compensation. Mexico’s GDP last year exceeded US$1.2 trillion.
“We are not doing this to put pressure on the United States,” Celorio said. “We did this so that Mexico did not die.”
Mexico did not seek the opinion of the U.S. government on this matter, but made recommendations to the U.S. Embassy before filing a lawsuit.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) said it rejected Mexico’s claim that American manufacturers were negligent in their business practices.
“The Mexican government is responsible for the rampant crime and corruption in its territory,” NSSF senior vice president Lawrence G. Keane said in a statement. He said the cartels used guns illegally brought to Mexico or stolen from the Mexican military and law enforcement.
In Mexico, the sale of guns is strictly restricted and controlled by the Ministry of National Defense. However, the country’s powerful drug cartel smuggled thousands of guns into Mexico.
Al Jazeera reporter John Holman said when reporting from Mexico: “The border between Mexico and the United States is indeed full of loopholes.” “When you enter this country-we have done it many times-not many officials come to inspect cars.
“We have actually talked to smugglers and they said,’Yes, we can even pass guns without hiding too many guns, which is relatively easy for us’,” Holman said.
There were more than 36,000 murders in Mexico last year, despite the President Andres Manuel López Obrador Vow to stabilize the country.Mexican National murder rate It will remain unchanged in 2020, at 29 people per 100,000 inhabitants. In comparison, the U.S. homicide rate in 2019 was 5.8 per 100,000 people.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (Marcelo Ebrard) is widely regarded as a contender in the 2024 election and has been promoting the issue of gun trafficking and lax gun control in the United States in recent years. [File: Mexico’s Presidency/Handout via Reuters]Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard (Marcelo Ebrard) said at a public ceremony on Wednesday that his government hopes that weapons manufacturers will immediately stop the practice of causing deaths in his country.
He said that he believes that the US government is willing to cooperate with Mexico to prevent arms smuggling, and the US government has not named names in the civil lawsuit.
Ebrard is widely regarded as the 2024 presidential candidate, and in recent years he has been promoting the issue of gun trafficking and lax gun control in the United States.
On Tuesday, Ebrard traveled to El Paso, Texas, to participate in a ceremony commemorating the second anniversary of his murder. Walmart 22 people, Where the shooter was accused Deliberately targeting Mexicans.
[ad_2]
Source link