The Supreme Court unanimously threw out Mexico’s multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the American gun industry on Thursday that sought to usher in major changes to firearm sales by holding companies liable for cartel violence.

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the majority, said the lawsuit is barred by the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a 2005 federal law that has provided firearms manufacturers broad legal immunity and come under criticism under from gun control advocates.

Mexico claimed its lawsuit fell under an exception to the PLCAA that still permits lawsuits when a company “knowingly violated” firearms laws and the violation proximately harmed the person suing.

“But that exception, if Mexico’s suit fell within it, would swallow most of the rule,” Kagan wrote.

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