Earlier this month, the Washington Free Beacon reported on how George Soros’ Open Society Foundations has provided funding to Global Action on Gun Violence (GAGV), which partnered with the Mexican government to file lawsuits against U.S. gun manufacturers for crimes committed in Mexico.
Over several decades, Soros has contributed $32 billion to the Open Society Foundations, supporting various progressive causes globally. His son Alex Soros, who chairs the board of directors, is often seen at events with Democratic Party members.
The Open Society Foundations have supported efforts aimed at restricting Americans’ Second Amendment rights. In 2000, they published a report advocating for stricter federal and state gun regulations. The report recommended criminalizing private gun transfers, banning certain handguns and assault weapons, and praised President Bill Clinton’s push for a federal licensing system for gun owners but argued it did not go far enough. It also called for states to implement licensing and registration systems as well as gun-rationing laws.
In the early 2000s, Open Society funded groups such as Million Mom March and Women Against Gun Violence and supported lawsuits targeting the firearms industry. In 2013, it granted $150,000 to Fund for a Safer Future—a coalition that includes Everytown for Gun Safety and the Joyce Foundation—recently led by Rob Wilcox, former co-deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
A 2016 interview with Marlon Peterson, an Open Society grantee, highlighted their stance on gun rights: “NRA and the ‘firearms industrial complex’ had bastardized the Second Amendment for capital gain at the expense of thousands of American lives every year.” Peterson added: “This nation needs to be bold enough to reconsider our relationship to the Second Amendment.”
Open Society has also worked closely with international activist Rebecca Peters, who directed programs at organizations funded by Open Society after her involvement in Australia’s 1996 gun ban campaign.
Recent records show that over seven years, Open Society awarded grants to groups including Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control Inc.), March for Our Lives Action Fund, and Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
In 2023, Open Society gave a two-year $300,000 grant to GAGV. The group lists Open Society as a philanthropic partner on its website. GAGV’s strategy is focused on litigation against U.S. firearms companies for harm caused outside America—an approach intended to influence industry practices beyond current regulations.
Such litigation was addressed by Congress through the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) in 2005. The PLCAA shields firearms manufacturers from lawsuits arising from third-party criminal misuse of their products—a principle long established in U.S. tort law.
GAGV’s most notable case was Smith & Wesson Brands v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos (2025), where it worked with Mexico’s government seeking liability from American manufacturers despite PLCAA protections. Attorneys Jonathan Lowy and Elizabeth Burke registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as agents representing Mexico in this matter; GAGV notes its FARA registration for both Mexico and the Bahamas on its website.
The Supreme Court unanimously rejected Mexico’s lawsuit under PLCAA grounds. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in her concurring opinion: “Activists had deployed litigation in an effort to compel firearms manufacturers and associated entities to adopt safety measures and practices that exceeded what state or federal statutes required,” adding that “PLCAA embodies Congress’ express rejection of such efforts—stymying those who… sought ‘to accomplish through litigation that which they have been unable to achieve by legislation.’” She emphasized that Mexico’s case failed because it targeted lawful industry conduct not prohibited by legislatures or voters.
The activities of Soros’ philanthropic network continue drawing attention amid ongoing debates about gun policy in America.
