Thursday, the Supreme Court of the United States issued its decision in the closely watched case, Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, unanimously holding that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) bars Mexico’s attempt to hold several of America’s largest firearms manufacturers liable for violence committed by Mexican drug cartels. The NRA supported the manufacturers in this case by filing an amicus brief urging the Court to take the case and a subsequent brief arguing for the exact outcome decided by the Court.
“The U.S. Supreme Court correctly renounced the tactics Mexico and its American collaborators used to try to extort and impoverish America’s firearms industry,” said Doug Hamlin, NRA Executive Vice President & CEO. “The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act is clear—firearm manufacturers are not liable for the criminal misuse of their products, and this doesn’t change just because gun control activists disapprove of their lawful business practices and products. PLCAA is the law of the land today due to the work of NRA-ILA and NRA members in the early 2000s.”
The case brought by the Government of Mexico epitomized the type of abusive lawsuits that the PLCAA was enacted to prohibit. The Court noted in its opinion that although the PLCAA contains an exception for illegal acts by industry members, “…that exception, if Mexico’s suit fell within it, would swallow most of the rule.” As such, the Court correctly determined that the manufacturers have immunity granted by the PLCAA.
“This is a monumental victory for the lawful commerce of constitutionally protected products,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). “Gun control activists have long sought various avenues to restrict the Second Amendment in this country. Thankfully, today, the Supreme Court ended their latest attempt to bankrupt the firearms industry and make it harder for law-abiding Americans to acquire arms to protect themselves and their loved ones.”
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