In a bold move to curb the devastating impact of gun violence fueled by U.S. firearms smuggled into the country, Mexico has filed two high-profile lawsuits against U.S. gun manufacturers and dealers. This legal action comes as part of the Mexican government’s intensified efforts to tackle the “iron river” — the term used to describe the steady stream of American guns that flow into Mexico, empowering cartels and fueling violent crime.
The lawsuits, filed in 2021 and 2022, target key U.S. players in the gun trade. The first lawsuit was filed against Smith & Wesson, a major U.S. firearm manufacturer, and one of its wholesalers. The second lawsuit named five Arizona-based gun stores, accusing them of engaging in reckless and unlawful business practices that contribute to the supply of high-powered weapons to criminal organizations.
It is estimated that between 200,000 and 500,000 firearms are smuggled into Mexico from the United States each year. Jonathan Lowy, an attorney who helped Mexico in its fight to close the gun pipeline, emphasized the dire need for action. “If you think fentanyl overdoses, migration crises, or organized crime are problems in the United States, then you should care about stopping the crime gun pipeline to Mexico. All these issues are driven by the supply of U.S. guns to cartels,” Lowy said.
Mexico’s gun laws are starkly different from those in the U.S. The Mexican constitution grants its citizens the right to bear arms but with strict limitations. There is only one legal gun store in the entire country, located in a heavily guarded military base in Mexico City. In stark contrast, the United States has over 75,000 licensed gun dealers, more than twice the number of post offices in the country.
Despite these restrictions, the cartels have no trouble obtaining high-powered weapons that are not available to civilians in Mexico. These illegal firearms are often sourced from U.S. gun dealers, fueling violence that continues to devastate Mexican communities.
One of the most harrowing examples of this violence came on October 17, 2019, when Mexican forces attempted to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. What was supposed to be a victory in the war on drugs quickly escalated into a bloody, five-hour gun battle as hundreds of cartel gunmen armed with military-grade weapons attacked soldiers, took hostages, and blocked key roads with burning vehicles.
Mexico’s then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in a bid to prevent further bloodshed, ordered Guzmán’s release. This marked a turning point in the country’s struggle with cartel violence. In an interview with 60 Minutes earlier this year, López Obrador acknowledged the role of U.S. firearms in exacerbating the violence. “In my time in office, we have confiscated 50,000 guns — 75% of them from the United States,” he said.
In 2023, Guzmán was recaptured, only for his arrest to spark another deadly confrontation with cartel members, leaving 10 Mexican soldiers dead. Among the weapons seized in this operation were rifles traced back to one of the U.S. gun dealers named in Mexico’s lawsuit, Ammo AZ.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has long been involved in tracing firearms used in crimes in Mexico. Tim Sloan, former ATF attaché to Mexico, recalled a particularly chilling case during his tenure from 2019 to 2022. “There were dead bodies everywhere…55-gallon drums with body parts in them,” he said, explaining that all the weapons used by the cartel in this incident were traced back to the U.S.
Sloan further explained how traffickers and so-called “straw purchasers” — individuals who buy firearms on behalf of criminals — facilitate the flow of weapons into Mexico. In certain U.S. states, if a buyer does not have a criminal record, they can purchase multiple firearms legally. Once acquired, these guns are easily transported across the U.S.-Mexico border, further fueling the ongoing violence.
In response to the continued violence, Mexico’s lawsuit names five Arizona-based gun dealers, alleging that their business practices have enabled the illegal arms trade. Alejandro Celorio, the lead attorney representing Mexico, pointed out that these dealers are among the key facilitators in the pipeline, making them directly responsible for the weapons flooding into Mexico. “These five dealers are the bad actors in the system,” Celorio said.
Between 2015 and 2022, ATF traced more than 50,000 firearms used in crimes in Mexico back to U.S. gun dealers. The Mexican government’s legal battle is an urgent attempt to stem the tide of illegal firearms and hold American businesses accountable for their role in the cartels’ deadly operations.
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