New Mexico Governor Faces Bipartisan Criticism for Firearm Ban
Summary from the AllSides News Team
An executive order temporarily suspending open and concealed carry laws in Albuquerque, New Mexico is facing backlash and criticism from lawmakers, presidential candidates, gun rights advocates, gun control advocates, and local law enforcement officials.
Details: On Friday, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) announced a public health order that includes a “suspension of open and concealed carry laws in Bernalillo County, temporarily prohibiting the carrying of guns on public property with certain exceptions.” A statement from Grisham read, “the time for standard measures has passed. And when New Mexicans are afraid to be in crowds, to take their kids to school, to leave a baseball game … something is very wrong.”
Response: The order is being deemed unconstitutional by a diverse array of voices. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) stated, “This order from the Governor of New Mexico violates the U.S. Constitution. No state in the union can suspend the federal Constitution.” Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said there is “no way we can enforce that order.” March For Our Lives founder and gun control advocate David Hogg stated, “I support gun safety but there is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.” Florida Gov. and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R) stated, “since 2020, ‘public health’ has become a pretext for depriving citizens of civil liberties and trampling on our Constitutional rights.”
How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum are highlighting criticism of the order from bipartisan voices.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Sheriff in New Mexico’s most populous county rejects governor’s gun ban, calling it unconstitutional
The sheriff in New Mexico’s largest metro area vowed Monday not to enforce an emergency order by the governor to temporarily suspend the right to carry firearms in public in and around the city of Albuquerque.
“It’s unconstitutional, so there’s no way we can enforce that order,” Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said during a news conference. “This ban does nothing to curb gun violence.”
Reaction has been swift after Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the order Friday, telling reporters that she expected legal challenges and that state police...
From the Right
Liberals turn on New Mexico governor over gun suspension: ‘Violates the US Constitution’
Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is coming under fire from members of her own party after temporarily suspending open and concealed carry across Albuquerque under an emergency health order.
"I support gun safety laws. However, this order from the Governor of New Mexico violates the U.S. Constitution. No state in the union can suspend the federal Constitution. There is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution," California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted.
Lujan Grisham temporarily suspended open and concealed carry laws...
From the Center
New Mexico governor suspends the right to carry firearms in public in Albuquerque
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed an emergency order on Friday that will bar firearms from being carried in public in Albuquerque.
Grisham said she was compelled to act due to a series of shootings in the city, including one that killed an 11-year-old boy outside a baseball game this week and a group of targeted shootings against Muslim men last month.
The motion, using an emergency health order, bans concealed and open carry firearms in all public places in areas with a specific violent crime threshold —...
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