Officially, the Mexican government sued American gun manufacturers, blaming them for “aiding and abetting” the trafficking of firearms to drug cartels. But its real beef is with the Second Amendment, which prohibits the sort of sweeping gun restrictions that Mexican officials think public safety requires.

The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to block a $10 billion lawsuit Mexico filed against top firearm manufacturers in the U.S. alleging the companies have fueled cartel gun violence. Both liberal and conservative justices appeared skeptical that the claims could clear hurdles in U.

The lower appellate court ruled that Mexico had “plausibly” claimed that the manufacturers did aid and abet the illegal trafficking of guns “by passing along guns knowing that the purchasers include unlawful buyers, and making design and marketing decisions targeted towards those exact individuals.”

A majority of the justices seemed to question Mexico’s claim that it could prove a direct chain linking arms manufacturers to drug cartel violence.

On March 4th, hours after Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on Mexican exports to the United States, Mexico’s government stood before the Supreme Court of the United States to argue that American gunmakers should be held liable for deaths caused by Mexican gangs using the weapons they manufacture.

The justices return to the bench Monday for a week of oral arguments that includes a high-profile lawsuit from Mexico seeking to hold U.S. gun makers liable for cartel violence.

Supreme Court justices heard arguments in an appeal by gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson and firearm distributor Interstate Arms.

The dispute focuses on whether Mexico can hold U.S. manufacturers liable for gun violence and comes amid rising tensions between the countries.

Mexico’s 2021 lawsuit accuses Smith & Wesson and Interstate Arms of knowingly supplying weapons to dealers who sell to traffickers. The companies’ lawyer compared the case to holding Budweiser liable for drunk driving,