Mexico City, Mexico — Marcelo Ebrard , Secretary of Foreign Relations, along with the Government of Mexico, has been named Arms Control Person of the Year 2021 by the Arms Control Association. Ebrard was named for his lawsuit against arms manufacturers and distributors in the United States.
Through social networks, Foreign Minister Ebrard celebrated the recognition made by the Arms Control Association.
“Very good for the legal team of the Foreign Ministry for the lawsuit against the arms industry and those who voted for Mexico to make it possible. Great!!” he wrote on social media.
“The lawsuit by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs against the United States firearms companies represents an important new way to hold rogue actors accountable for their role in the violence caused by small arms trafficking across international borders,” said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Association.
In December, the Association for Arms Control nominated Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and the Government of Mexico as their “Person(s) of the Year” for the lawsuit filed against U.S. gun manufacturers in 2021.
In a statement, the non-partisan association pointed out that the award is given to those who, in the last 12 months, have “advanced effective solutions for arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament, and raised awareness of the threats posed by weapons that produce mass casualties.”
All of the nominees, the association explained, “have, in their own way, exercised significant leadership that has contributed to reducing gun-related safety hazards over the past year.”
Daryl G. Kimball said that “in an arena that often focuses on serious threats and negative developments, our Gun Control Person(s) of the Year contest aims to highlight a number of positive initiatives – some big, some small – designed to promote international peace, security and justice”.
Foreign Minister Ebrard and the Government of Mexico were nominated “for their lawsuit against U.S. armories and distributors in a federal court in Massachusetts, which represents a new strategy in the fight against illicit arms trafficking.”
The lawsuit states that various gun manufacturers “design, market, distribute and sell weapons in ways that they know end up arming drug cartels in Mexico,” something that contributes to a decline of life expectancy in Mexico.
In the lawsuit, the association said the Mexican government accuses companies of selling around 340,000 of an estimated half a million weapons that illegally cross “from Massachusetts and other U.S. states into the hands of criminals south of the border.”
