New Mexico GOP Chairman Steve Pearce has expressed his concerns over Governor Lujan Grisham’s recent gun control orders. As the 2024 legislative term begins in New Mexico, the state is facing a series of gun control bills that have already caught the attention of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and are expected to face legal challenges. The NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Executive Director Randy Kozuch criticized Governor Grisham’s proposals, accusing her of punishing law-abiding citizens while ignoring criminals.
During her State of the State address, Governor Grisham called for the passage of a gun safety package aimed at protecting residents from crime and violence, particularly children. The package includes measures such as banning assault weapons, raising the legal purchase age for all guns to 21, implementing a 14-day waiting period, increasing penalties for felons in possession of firearms, and restricting guns in parks and playgrounds. Grisham emphasized that responsible gun owners should not be affected by these measures, but stressed the need to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of individuals who cannot pass background checks or wait two weeks to acquire a firearm.
Protesters interrupted Governor Grisham’s speech, with videos circulating on social media showing individuals wearing “cease-fire now” shirts, a reference to the ongoing conflict in Israel. The state House and Senate have already filed six gun control bills, including an “assault weapons ban” that aims to regulate the manufacturing, possession, and sale of weapons commonly used in mass casualty events. Grisham, who recently announced her “public safety legislative agenda,” described it as the largest safety package in New Mexico’s history, attributing rising crime trends to gun violence.
The New Mexico House has already introduced four bills, including one that expands red flag confiscation laws to allow reporting of potentially harmful behavior, which could result in the surrender of firearms. Another bill would enable lawsuits against the gun industry for injunctive relief and civil penalties. Two other bills aim to increase the minimum age for purchasing and possessing semi-automatic weapons to 21 and extend the waiting period for gun purchases to 14 business days, respectively. If passed, New Mexico would have the longest gun purchase waiting period in the nation.
In the Senate, proposed bills include a 14-business day waiting period for gun purchases and an 11% excise tax on guns, gun parts, suppressors, and ammunition. Similar to a law in California, the tax would be collected from gun retailers and allocated to a victims reparation fund and a fund for abused children and families.
Governor Grisham’s gun control measures have faced strong opposition from the NRA, who have filed a lawsuit in the New Mexico Supreme Court, arguing that the orders are unconstitutional. The lawsuit has garnered unanimous support from GOP state House and Senate members, retired law enforcement officers, the Republican Party of New Mexico, and the Libertarian Party of New Mexico. However, the Democratic Attorney General Raul Torrez has distanced himself from the governor, refusing to defend her administration in court. Some Democrats, including gun control activist and Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg, have also criticized the orders.
Governor Grisham previously faced criticism for signing an emergency public health order that temporarily suspended open and concealed carry across Albuquerque and the surrounding county. The NRA’s lawsuit against the order gained significant support, leading to a backlash against the governor’s administration. Despite legal challenges, Grisham remains determined to address gun violence and implement measures she believes will improve public safety.
As the battle between Governor Grisham and the NRA continues, it remains to be seen how these gun control bills will fare in court and the impact they will have on the state’s residents.
