Liberal billionaire George Soros has channeled funds to an anti-gun organization that supports Mexico's legal actions against American firearms manufacturers, sparking backlash from gun rights advocates. Soros's Open Society Foundations (OSF) provided a $300,000 grant to Global Action on Gun Violence (GAGV) in 2023, records show. The donation, categorized as "general support," helped fund the group's work representing Mexico in a $10 billion lawsuit against Smith & Wesson, a Tennessee-based gun manufacturer.
The Legal Strategy Behind Foreign Lawsuits
GAGV, which registered as a foreign agent of Mexico in 2022, argues that U.S. gun companies are liable for weapons trafficked to cartels. The organization's cofounder, Elizabeth Burke, described the approach as a way to generate "international pressure to reform the gun industry." This strategy marks a shift from traditional domestic litigation, leveraging foreign courts to bypass U.S. constitutional protections for gun ownership.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.), a gun rights proponent, criticized the funding as a "foreign-led attack" on American businesses. "I opposed Mexico's lawsuit from the start and joined an amicus brief to the Supreme Court because this case is an assault on our sovereignty," she said. Tenney and 37 other congressional Republicans filed a brief arguing that Mexico's claims "disrespect the U.S. Constitution" by attempting to impose foreign gun laws on U.S. companies.
Expanding the Fight to Global Courts
Despite a unanimous Supreme Court ruling against Mexico in 2024, GAGV continues its litigation strategy. The group registered as a foreign agent of the Bahamas in June 2024 to combat firearms trafficking in the Caribbean. It has also filed lawsuits in Canada and lobbied the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to link "lax U.S. gun laws" to human rights abuses.
The Department of Justice filings reveal Mexico paid GAGV $250,000 in 2023 for its legal work. OSF's grant accounted for one-third of GAGV's total donations that year. A spokesperson for OSF defended the funding, stating it aimed to "curtail cartel and gang violence" and "cut off the flow of weapons enabling drug trafficking."
GAGV's efforts extend beyond litigation. In March 2024, its representatives met with the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and organized a forum with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D., Md.) and Mexican legal counsel Alejandro Celorio. Raskin called the Mexico lawsuit "landmark litigation" and expressed support for its success.