"We are going to win the trial and we are going to drastically reduce illicit arms trafficking to Mexico," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told a news conference.

The companies named in the suit include Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Colt, Glock, Century Arms, Ruger and Barrett.

Together they manufacture more than two-thirds of the over half a million weapons that are illegally brought into Mexico each year, according to the Mexican authorities.

The flow of arms generates millions of dollars in profits each year for the American gun industry.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for the damage caused by the firms' "negligent practices" as well as the implementation of adequate standards to "monitor and discipline" arms dealers, Ebrard said.

The Latin American country has seen more than 300,000 murders since 2006 when it deployed the military in the fight on drugs trafficking, most of them blamed on criminal gangs.

More than 17,000 murders in 2019 involved weapons illegally trafficked from the United States, according to the Mexican government.