Attorney General Knudsen issues statement following SCOTUS decision in gun manufacturers case

HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued the following statement Thursday following the Supreme Court of the United States’ (SCOTUS) decision in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc., et.al., v. Mexico. Attorney General Knudsen led an amicus brief in support of the firearms manufacturers in December.

“This is a win for gun manufacturers and gun owners across the country. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act makes it clear – American firearms manufacturers should not and do not have to answer for the actions of criminals. Today, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed. Mexico’s dangerous gun policies are to blame for their own gun violence crisis, not American gun manufacturers following the law.”

The Mexican government wrongly claimed that firearms manufacturers should be held liable for the gun violence occurring south of the border since the companies know some of their products are unlawfully trafficked into the country. However, Congress enacted the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005 (PLCAA) to balance Americans’ Second Amendment right with the need to keep guns away from criminals while protecting firearms companies from being held liable for crimes committed with their products.

Attorney General Knudsen led amicus briefs in support of the gun manufacturers at nearly every stage of the case. Most recently, in December 2024, he led a 28-state coalition asking SCOTUS to reverse a lower court’s ruling and keep other nations, like Mexico, from using American courts to limit the rights of American citizens.