A lawsuit says US firearms manufacturers are responsible for the 'flood' of illegal guns into Mexico.
Bystanders mourn after witnessing the attack on Omar Garcia Harfuch, injuring him and killing three
"At that moment I knew we had been ambushed," Mr Harfuch later told Spain's El País newspaper. "Then I felt the first shot come through the windscreen". The lawsuit, filed in a federal courthouse in Massachusetts - where several of the companies are based - argues that the "flood" of illegal guns in Mexico "is the foreseeable result of the defendants' deliberate actions and business practices".
More than a dozen US states - including California and New York - have expressed their support for the Mexican government's case, as have lawyers representing Antigua and Barbuda and Belize. "The border is porous," he said. "People - it could even be old women and men - walk or drive across the border on a daily basis and can amass a stockpile that would rival any Texas gun show. It's easy to get a gun or rifle in Mexico."
Criminal groups' arsenals, Mr Calderon said, are often comparable to those of the Mexican military and leave the local police forces hopelessly outgunned. There is also no law in the US that would make selling weapons with such decorations a crime, leading some experts to cast doubt on this aspect of Mexico's claim that the manufacturers could be held liable.Mexican officials say that the vastly different firearms regulations of the two North American neighbours are a root cause of the problem.
Mexican officials argue that the steady flow of weapons from these sources is a primary driver of violence in their country, where an estimated 33,000 people were murdered in 2021 alone. Lawyers for the manufacturers and prominent members of the US gun lobby have explicitly linked Mexico's lawsuit to Americans' constitutional rights.
Its government "should be in a Mexican courtroom, seeking justice and trying to bring these cartels to justice", he said. "It sends a signal that business as usual is over," Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico's ambassador in Washington from 2007-13, told the BBC.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mexico president López Obrador wins recall referendumNine in 10 voters back leader to stay in office in poll viewed as foregone conclusion by critics and supporters
Read more »
‘Putin is done’, says US lawyer who indicted Liberian warlord Charles Taylor‘I’ve never seen the world come together like this’, ex-UN prosecutor David Crane tells Andrew Buncombe
Read more »
Tell us: what has your experience been like buying fuel?We would like to hear about any issues you have experienced buying fuel and the impact it has had on work or any other essential journeys
Read more »
TikTok just taught us how to perfect the French twist bun, and it's super easyThe chicest updo in just one minute. Yes, really.
Read more »
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 speeds to new record after big US box office debutSonic the Hedgehog 2 speeds to new record after huge US debut
Read more »
Ukraine War: US 'deeply concerned' at report of Mariupol chemical attackUkrainian forces in Mariupol say a Russian drone dropped a chemical substance on the city overnight.
Read more »