Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision In SMITH & WESSON V. MEXICO

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of gun manufacturers inSmith & Wesson v. Mexico:
“Gun trafficking from the United States to Mexico is fueling a cycle of tremendous violence. Lawless gun manufacturers, international criminals, and drug cartels are weaponizing our lax gun laws in America to facilitate violence, traffic drugs, and wreak havoc across the globe.
“This ruling does not address that crisis. While it’s a temporary win for gun manufacturers, the Supreme Court’s decision is narrow and specific to the claims in this case.
“Our fight for common sense gun safety reform continues. MyStop Arming Cartels Actwould cut off gun trafficking at its source and strengthen American gun laws, and today’s ruling is further reason to pass it into law.”
Earlier this year, Durbinintroducedthe bicameralStop Arming Cartels Act, which would stem the “iron river” of firearms trafficking from the United States to Mexico, enabled by weakAmerican gun laws and dangerous gun industry practices.
The deadly stream of firearms trafficking exacerbates violence, enables cartels who smuggle migrants to our southern border, and facilitates the illicit trade of narcotics, including fentanyl, across the border back into the United States. According to a 2021studyfrom the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), 70 percent of crime guns recovered in Mexico from 2014-2018 and submitted for tracing were U.S.-sourced.
Specifically, theStop Arming Cartels Actwould:
The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).
The bill is endorsed by Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, GIFFORDS, March for Our Lives, Global Exchange, Global Action on Gun Violence, Amnesty International, and People’s Movement for Peace and Justice.
Bill text is availablehere. A one-page summary of the bill is availablehere.
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