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Mexico's government filed the suit in October, arguing that the
five dealers in Arizona were responsible for selling guns. It
said that those guns ended up in the possession of people who
moved them across the nearby border with Mexico.
Mexico has strict gun laws, but the government alleges that drug
cartels use guns purchased in the United States to commit crimes
in Mexico.
The motion, filed in a U.S. district court in Arizona, says the
dealers are protected by the U.S. Protection of Lawful Commerce
in Arms Act (PLCAA), a 2005 law that shields gun makers and
sellers from liability when their products are used in a crime.
Mexico's lawsuit against the dealers in October came days after
a U.S. federal judge in late September dismissed Mexico's
historic $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers
seeking to hold them responsible for facilitating the
trafficking of weapons to drug cartels.
The judge in that case cited the PLCAA in his decision, which
Mexico is appealing.
"As expected, the defendants argue that they can continue to
sell weapons to anyone," said Alejandro Celorio, top legal
adviser for Mexico's foreign ministry.
"They point out that there is nothing the Mexican government can
do to stop it or hold them accountable," he told Reuters on
Saturday.
Celorio told Reuters in October that Mexico's lawsuits aim to
address the "root causes" of gun violence in Mexico.
Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle and Nate Raymond; editing by Diane
Craft)
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