Judicial panel overturns block on lawsuit claiming companies facilitate gun trafficking.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals has revived a lawsuit filed by the government of Mexico that claims seven notable U.S. gun manufacturers are complicit in the trafficking of weapons to Mexican drug cartels. The case was originally dismissed in October by a federal court that ruled the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) does provide the firearms industry legal protection from the misuse of their products.
However, Circuit Judge William Kayatta, writing for the three-judge panel, ruled that while the law can be applied even to lawsuits filed by foreign governments attempting to target legally traded firearms, Mexico’s lawsuit, which focuses on illegal trade, “plausibly alleges a type of claim that is statutorily exempt from the PLCAA’s general prohibition.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For U.S. judges to be discerning as they hear and decide cases regarding private industry and illegal trade.
- For officials in the U.S. government as they review and interpret laws passed by Congress.
- For the justices of the Supreme Court as they deliberate the decisions regarding federal agencies’ actions based on ambiguous laws.
Sources: Reuters, CNN
