March 10, 2026
In a trailblazing effort to hold the United States accountable for its contribution to gun violence under international human rights law, Global Action on Gun Violence (GAGV) and The George Washington University Law School Civil and Human Rights Law Clinic (CHRLC at GW Law) filed a merits brief in the “Lawsuit for Survival” on behalf of Manny and Patricia Oliver, the parents of Joaquin Oliver, who was killed in the 2018 Parkland shooting. This brief supports a petition, filed November 9, 2023, which denounces the U.S. government’s failure to regulate firearms effectively in breach of its due diligence obligations under the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. The action is the first human rights action seeking a ruling that U.S. gun policy violates international human rights law.
The brief argues that the U.S. government’s “utter failure to fulfill its due diligence responsibilities” regarding the regulation of gun companies and their role in facilitating gun violence constitutes a violation of fundamental rights, including the right to life, liberty, and personal security. Relatedly, on March 5, 2026, the Inter-American Court for Human Rights released an Advisory Opinion that held that countries and firearms companies are obligated to respect due diligence principles to prevent human rights abuses like those presented by the Oliver case.
Jonathan Lowy, founder and president of GAGV, led this effort in collaboration with Professor Arturo J. Carrillo of GW Law School. Lowy asserts, “Joaquin Oliver, a 17 year old boy with what should have been a full life ahead of him, had a right to live – a right recognized by international human rights law that the United States is required to respect and protect. Our pioneering approach to holding the U.S. government accountable for its failure to regulate gun manufacturers helps ensure that U.S. citizens enjoy their inalienable right to live free from gun violence.”
Professor Carrillo, director of the CHRLC at GW Law School, observed “the significance of this lawsuit cannot be overstated: it presents the Inter-American human rights system with an opportunity to recognize for the first time that the tragic effects of rampant gun violence on minors, families and communities in the U.S. are in gross violation of their fundamental rights. Through their case, Joaquin Oliver and his parents, Patricia and Manny, are spearheading a collective effort to achieve a degree of accountability for gun violence in what is otherwise a sea of impunity.”
Global Action on Gun Violence is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending gun violence in the U.S. and throughout the world, using litigation, human rights actions, advocacy and messaging. GAGV represents the Government of Mexico in anti-gun trafficking litigation, is foreign legal counsel in a Canadian gun lawsuit, and works with the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and other international bodies to address gun violence. GAGV Founder and President Jonathan Lowy has litigated the Second Amendment and other gun cases for more than 25 years.
The Civil and Human Rights Law Clinic (CHRL) at GW Law offers students hands-on experience in international human rights advocacy, focusing on digital rights, international humanitarian law (IHL), and civil rights cases. Students engage in live projects, representing clients and working on advocacy strategies in a professional setting.