U.S. judge dismisses Mexico’s $10 bln lawsuit against gun makers

A federal judge on Friday dismissed Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit seeking to hold U.S. gun manufacturers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of a deadly flood of weapons across the U.S.-Mexico border to drug cartels.
The decision by Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston federal court is a victory for Smith & Wesson Brands Inc , Sturm, Ruger & Co and others accused of undermining Mexico’s strict gun laws by designing, marketing and selling military-style assault weapons that cartels could use.
Saylor said federal law “unequivocally” bars lawsuits seeking to hold gun manufacturers responsible when people use guns for their intended purpose. He also said that while the law contained several narrow exceptions, none applied.
“While the court has considerable sympathy for the people of Mexico, and none whatsoever for those who traffic guns to Mexican criminal organizations, it is duty-bound to follow the law,” Saylor wrote in a 44-page decision.