Popular Defiance Will Kneecap Gun Laws in New Mexico, As It Has in Other States

Following the lead of their rebellious constituents, local officials say they won’t enforce despised rules.

New Mexico is the battleground for the latest confrontation between politicians determined to impose legal restrictions on the right to acquire and own the means of self-defense and people unwilling to obey such laws. The state's governor is publicly feuding with county-level officials who, responding to grassroots anger at the proposed gun measures, vow noncompliance if they become law.

The evidence from similar spats in other states suggests that government officials are once again poised...