WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) led 45 members of Congress in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court concerning the ongoing Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. et al., v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos case urging the Supreme Court to hold gun manufacturers accountable for their role in the illegal trafficking of firearms to Mexico.

In Smith & Wesson, Mexico is suing U.S. gun manufacturers and a distributor for allegedly aiding and abetting illegal arms trafficking. Smith & Wesson Brands will be a critical case for victims and survivors of gun violence hoping to hold the gun industry accountable for its actions in years to come. As lawmakers whose constituents have been harmed by gun violence or the threat of it, Murphy and Blumenthal argue that the gun industry should not be insulated from liability for its own unlawful conduct. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments in this case on March 4, 2025.

“PLCAA has largely shielded gun manufacturers from being held accountable for the senseless and preventable loss of lives by their weapons, but Congress did include important exceptions in PLCAA. We need to repeal this law altogether, but until we can do that, we’re hopeful that the Supreme Court doesn’t render the exceptions meaningless,” said Murphy.

“For too long, the American firearms industry has profited from sales to Mexican drug cartels— allowing these viciously criminal groups to terrorize Mexican society. This brief rejects the gun manufacturers’ position claiming a right to fuel violence and chaos. I’m proud to continue my work stopping dangerous gun industry practices,” said Blumenthal.

U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also signed the brief. They were joined in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Valerie P. Foushee (D-N.C.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (D-Ga.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Paul D. Tonko (D-N.Y.), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).

The amicus brief is supported by GIFFORDS Law Center.

The lawmakers’ amicus brief to the Supreme Court can be read in full HERE.

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