In January, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) proclaimed his support for Mexico’s position in the ongoing case Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc, et al. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos. This case is due to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in early March. This suit is an attempt by the Mexican government, working with U.S.-based gun-control advocates, to undo the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), to use the U.S. firearms industry as a scapegoat for Mexican lawlessness and to impose billions of dollars in liability on American gun manufacturers for violence perpetrated by criminals south of the border.
The PLCAA merely prohibits lawsuits against the gun industry for the criminal misuse of its products by a third party. Suits against the industry for knowingly unlawful sales, negligent entrustment and those predicated on traditional product-liability grounds are still permitted.
“While California’s assistance to Mexico may surprise some, the attempt to undermine Americans’ Second Amendment rights shouldn’t. In 2021, California joined an amicus curiae brief supporting New York’s position in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, in which the Supreme Court made clear that the Second Amendment protects the right to carry a firearm outside the home for self-defense,” reported the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA).
“Those seeking a robust defense of the PLCAA and America’s Second Amendment tradition, and a repudiation of Mexico and its collaborators’ arguments, are encouraged to read NRA’s amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court here. Oral arguments before the Court have been set for March 4.”
