Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, , is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court determined that domestic firearm manufacturers cannot be sued by foreign states, if not materially causing the importation of weapons, under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The case had been accepted by the court in late 2024.
Background
Lower court history In 2021, Mexico sued seven firearms manufacturers, including Smith & Wesson, Beretta, and Colt's Manufacturing Company, alleging that the companies have exacerbated the Mexican drug war. The US District Court for the District of Massachusetts dismissed the case, but the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit sided with the Mexican government on appeal.
Supreme Court On October 4, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari to review the First Circuit's decision. On March 4, 2025, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments with the justices largely agreeing with Noel Francisco's advocacy against holding firearms manufacturers liable for the criminal misuse of their products by downstream users. On June 5, 2025, the Court issued a unanimous 9-0 decision that Mexico failed to make a plausible allegation of liability under the predicate exception of PLCAA, and that Mexico's suit closely resembled the exact type of lawsuit the statute was enacted to prevent.
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