NSSF to Mexico Government: Quit Scapegoating Law-Abiding Gun Makers

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) responded to the Mexican Government’s lawsuit against Glock, Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and others, by telling them to quit scapegoating law-abiding gun makers.

Breitbart News noted that the Mexican Government’s suit–Mexico v. Smith and Wesson–is filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The suit makes myriad claims against gun makers Beretta, Century Arms, Colt, Glock, Ruger, and Smith & Wesson. They allege that the gun makers are “actively facilitating the unlawful trafficking of their guns to drug cartels and other criminals in Mexico.”

The suit also names Boston-area wholesaler Interstate Arms, including them as a defendant.

The Mexican Government describes the stringent gun controls in Mexico, then claims, “Defendants undermine these stringent laws, and wreak havoc in Mexican society, by persistently supplying a torrent of guns to the drug cartels.”

The NSSF pushed back against the suit in a press release, rejecting the Mexican Government’s claims and noting, “All firearms sold at retail within the United States are sold in accordance with federal and state laws, with an FBI background check and forms completed. Allegations of wholesale cross-border gun trafficking are patently and demonstrably false.”

Lawrence Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel, said:

Mexico’s criminal activity is a direct result of the illicit drug trade, human trafficking and organized crime cartels that plague Mexico’s citizens. It is these cartels that criminally misuse firearms illegally imported into Mexico or stolen from the Mexican military and law enforcement. Rather than seeking to scapegoat law-abiding American businesses, Mexican authorities must focus their efforts on bringing the cartels to justice. The Mexican government, which receives considerable aid from U.S. taxpayers, is solely responsible for enforcing its laws – including the country’s strict gun control laws – within their own borders.

The NSSF added, “Less than 12 percent of the guns Mexico seized in 2008, for example, have been verified as coming from the U.S.”

They went on to explain that “approximately 30,000 firearms were seized from criminals in Mexico,” but only 7,200 were submitted to the ATF to be traced.

The NSSF says only 7,200 guns were submitted for tracing “because only these firearms were likely to have come from the U.S.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.