Associated Press:  “Gun manufacturers asked a federal court in Massachusetts on Monday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Mexico’s government in August arguing that U.S. gun manufacturers and distributors fueled violence in Mexico through their negligent and illegal commercial practices. Gun maker Beretta U.S.A. Corp. argued there is no basis for the court to exercise jurisdiction over Beretta in the case.

“’Plaintiff is the government of Mexico. Beretta is a Maryland corporation with its corporate home, headquarters, and principal place of business in Maryland. And the harm for which Plaintiff seeks redress all occurred in Mexico,’ the company wrote in a document filed with the court Monday. Other gun manufacturers — including Smith & Wesson, Colt’s Manufacturing, Glock Inc., and Sturm, Ruger & Co. — also sought to have the suit dismissed. Another defendant is Interstate Arms, a Boston-area wholesaler that sells guns from all but one of the named manufacturers to dealers around the U.S.

“The Mexican government has argued the companies know their practices contribute to the trafficking of guns to Mexico and facilitate it. The government demanded a number of changes in how the companies do business, and compensation for the costs of the violence. Mexico’s government estimates 70% of the weapons trafficked to Mexico come from the U.S., according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and that in 2019 alone, at least 17,000 homicides were linked to trafficked weapons.”