- The lawsuit is against five gun dealers that systematically participate in arms trafficking, including of military-style weapons, for criminal organizations in Mexico.
- The Government of Mexico filed the suit in the U.S. District Court in Tucson, Arizona, on its own behalf and that of its citizens.
- This second lawsuit is part of a multifaceted strategy to stop the avalanche of guns into Mexico, particularly assault weapons, which equip criminal groups and lead to bloodshed in the country.
The Government of Mexico today filed a new lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Tucson, Arizona against five Arizona gun dealers. The lawsuit alleges that these dealers routinely and systematically engage in the illicit trafficking of weapons, including of military-style weapons, for criminal organizations in Mexico through sales to straw purchasers and sales meant for arms smugglers.
The lawsuit notes that the five stores are among the Arizona dealers whose guns are most frequently recovered in Mexico. The companies being sued are: (i) Diamondback Shooting Sports, Inc. (Tucson); (ii) SNG Tactical, LLC (Tucson); (iii) Loan Prairie, LLC, known as The Hub Target Sports (Tucson); (iv) Ammo A-Z, LLC (Phoenix), and (v) Sprague's Sports, Inc. (Yuma).
The lawsuit is part of a multifaceted strategy by the Government of Mexico to stop the avalanche of guns, particularly assault weapons, coming from the United States that empower criminal groups, cause bloodshed in Mexico and contribute to drug trafficking to the United States.
This court action in no way challenges the Constitutional right of U.S. citizens to bear arms, nor the right of stores to sell their products responsibly and lawfully. The lawsuit addresses a cause shared by both countries, whose citizens suffer from illicit firearms practices.
The earlier lawsuit filed by the Government of Mexico in Boston, Massachusetts, was the first lawsuit brought by a national government against the U.S. arms industry. The lawsuit filed in Arizona is the first civil suit brought by a national government against gun dealers in the United States who supply the criminal market.
This second lawsuit filed in Arizona contains several arguments: that the sellers do not comply with required safeguards; cause foreseeable damage; use misleading and tendentious advertising; sell guns that are turned into automatic weapons; cause a disturbance of public order, and violate state and federal laws, causing enormous damage in Mexico.
A favorable ruling in this lawsuit would provide support for the first lawsuit filed in Boston, since it would prove that the gun manufacturers are negligent for not monitoring or disciplining the dealers who sell their products.
The lead lawyers for the Mexican government's legal strategy are Steve Shadowen of Shadowen PLLC in Austin, Texas, and Jonathan Lowy of Global Action on Gun Violence in Washington, D.C. Both are highly respected lawyers in the United States on the issue of cross-border harm and gun control.
The Government of Mexico is confident that both the lawsuit in Boston against manufacturers and the lawsuit in Arizona against dealers will succeed in the courts. The actions taken by Mexico have already contributed to promoting conversations and actions around the world about halting arms trafficking and the dangerous practices of the arms industry.
