U.S. judge dismisses Mexico's $10bn lawsuit against American gun manufacturers 

A U.S. judge on Friday dismissed Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against American gun manufacturers, which accuses them of facilitating the trafficking of weapons across the border. 

The decision by Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor in a federal court in Boston comes as a victory for American gun manufacturers Smith & Wesson Brands Inc, Sturm, Ruger, & Co, and others. 

Mexico accused the gun manufacturers of supplying weapons to Mexican cartels. According to the Mexican government, around 500,000 weapons enter Mexico illegally, 70 percent of which come from the United States.

The lawsuit was filed in Boston, Massachusetts last year against Smith & Wesson, Barret Firearms Manufacturing, Beretta USA, Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC, and Glock Inc, as well as the distributor Interstate Arms.

“We believe the allegations made in the lawsuit are without merit, and we intend to aggressively defend this action,” Smith & Wesson said of the lawsuit last year. 

Judge Saylor said that U.S. law bars lawsuits seeking to hold gun manufacturers responsible for how people use guns. 

"While the court has considerable sympathy for the people of Mexico, and none whatsoever for those who traffic guns to Mexican criminal organizations, it is duty-bound to follow the law," Saylor wrote in a 44-page decision.

Mexico said it would appeal the decision. 

"This suit by the Mexican government has received worldwide recognition and has been considered a turning point in the discussion around the gun industry's responsibility for the violence experience in Mexico and the region," Mexico's foreign ministry said in a statement.