Browne: Government 'very pleased' as court rules Mexico can sue US gun-makers

AFTER a US Appeals Court decision which allows Mexico to continue with its US$10 billion lawsuit against US gun manufacturers, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne said the government is "very pleased."

Mexico, as well as several Caricom countries, has blamed US gun manufacturers for the bulk of firearms that are illegally brought into the region, fuelling violent crime.

A lower court dismissed the case in 2022, but Mexico appealed. The case was revived on January 22.

Trinidad and Tobago has supported this lobby against US gun makers, with Browne previously calling it "a step in the right direction."

He had said, "As a sovereign nation, we are making our voices heard. And we are standing alongside another sovereign nation that is having the same problem we have. And it is to our benefit that Mexico is doing this, because we all have the same problem."

Responding to Newsday via WhatsApp on January 24, he said the government has been in "close communication with our Mexican counterparts on the progress of the case.

"As we informed previously, Trinidad and Tobago has been supportive of this lawsuit within the context of our national focus and Caricom's regional focus on reducing the flow of guns from North America, and we did submit an amicus brief in collaboration with several other Caricom member states."

He reiterated the lawsuit is against private-sector gun manufacturers, and not the US government.