So much is at stake. The gun industry floods U.S. streets with crime guns. It floods our neighbors to the south and the rest of the world with guns. The gun industry chooses to put profits over people. It must be held accountable.
But the gun industry doesn’t want to clean up its act. We won a huge victory earlier this year when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that the claims we brought on behalf of the Government of Mexico against the gun industry could proceed in Estados Unidos Mexicanos v. Smith & Wesson, et al.
The case is the biggest case ever against the gun industry – and it just got bigger. The gun manufacturers petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review that decision, and earlier this month the Court accepted the case. The Court will hear arguments this term. We have a massive fight on our hands. But let me be clear – we have a path to win the case in the Supreme Court! Read on!
Sincerely, Jon Lowy Founder & President
P.S. Donate now to help Global Action on Gun Violence win in the Supreme Court!
(Photo credit: Shutterstock)
Huge Fight Ahead in the U.S. Supreme Court
Estados Unidos Mexicanos v. Smith & Wesson, et al., is the first gun industry liability case that the Supreme Court has ever heard. Global Action on Gun Violence is co-counsel for Mexico in this lawsuit.
The Court takes about 1% of the cases it is asked to review. This is the most important gun liability case ever.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit allowed the case, which alleges that the gun industry had recklessly and unlawfully sold, distributed, and marketed guns that supply the criminal market in Mexico, to move forward.
The Supreme Court will decide if the gun industry conduct that Mexico alleges can constitute aiding and abetting, and a proximate cause of Mexico's injuries.
GAGV Staff Attorney Emily Zoffer, Founder Jon Lowy, and Senior Staff Attorney, Jake Meiseles at the Supreme Court. (Photo credit: GAGV)
We have a terrific legal team and strong arguments to win the case. We'll send updates as the case progresses in the Supreme Court. You can read our press release here.
Last year, we filed a groundbreaking “Lawsuit for Survival” in the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on behalf of seventeen-year-old Joaquin Oliver, a victim of the Parkland high school shooting in 2018, and his parents, Manny and Patricia.
We argue that Joaquin had a right to live free from gunfire.
On November 15, GAGV will testify before the IACHR with Manny and Patricia that the United States is in violation of international human rights law, and that it is required to take stronger and effective actions to prevent gun violence.
This effort with Manny and Patricia is part of GAGV’s “outside game” strategy to put into stark relief how the U.S. lags far behind other countries in addressing gun violence and to force change.
Emily Zoffer has joined GAGV's legal team as our new staff attorney. We want to congratulate her on passing the bar last week!
Emily comes to GAGV with terrific depth of experience and education. She holds a B.A. cum laude from Harvard University and an M.A. summa cum laude in Nonprofit Management & Leadership from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
This May, Emily graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law, completing over 650 hours of pro bono work while there. She served as editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Journal of International Law and interned with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, as well as other public interest nonprofits.
GAGV's new staff attorney, Emily Zoffer (Photo credit: A. Freedman)
When asked what she looks forward to while working as a GAGV staff attorney, she replied “I’m eager to contribute to litigation at all levels of court with the ultimate goal of decreasing gun violence in the U.S. and world-wide.”
Emily has a broad array of interests, including musical theatre and literary fiction. Please join us in welcoming Emily to the GAGV team!
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