Gun makers including Smith & Wesson, Colt, and Glock want a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit by the government of Mexico.
The suit accuses the gun makers of facilitating the trafficking of weapons to drug cartels, leading to thousands of deaths.
The companies argued in Boston federal court on Monday that Mexico's ten-billion dollar lawsuit seeks to punish them for selling firearms that "are not only lawful but constitutionally protected in the United States."
For years, Mexican governments have urged the U.S. to stop illicit trafficking of guns into Mexico.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)