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New Mexico gov labeled ‘fascist’ for suspending concealed, open carry: ‘You should be jailed over this’

September 9, 2023 | | Print Article

Gun owners across the country are in an uproar over New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, unilaterally suspending open/concealed carry in certain counties.

She issued the suspension in an emergency order she filed Friday in response to several recent shootings that left children as young as five and eleven dead.

“The recent shooting deaths of a thirteen-year-old girl on July 28, a five-year-old girl on August 14, and an eleven-year-old boy on September 6, as well as two mass shootings this year spurred the governor to declare gun violence a public health emergency on Thursday,” according to a press release from her office.

“As I said yesterday, the time for standard measures has passed,” she herself said in a statement. “And when New Mexicans are afraid to be in crowds, to take their kids to school, to leave a baseball game – when their very right to exist is threatened by the prospect of violence at every turn – something is very wrong.”

The suspension applies to Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County for a minimum of at least 30 days. Moreover, it reportedly may only be enforced by the New Mexico State Police, not local officers.

“The governor made it clear that state law enforcement, and not APD [Albuquerque Police Department], will be responsible for enforcement of civil violations of the order,” Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said Friday.

“Our officers at APD will continue to focus on the enforcement of criminal laws and arresting the criminals who are driving violent crime in the city,” he added.

The order itself states that “no person, other than a law enforcement officer or licensed security officer, shall possess a firearm … either openly or concealed, within cities or counties averaging 1,000 or more violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year since 2021,” according to The Santa Fe New Mexican.

The only potential good news is that a violation of the order would produce nothing more than a misdemeanor penalty. In addition, the no open/concealed carry rule won’t apply to private homes, licensed gun dealerships, and shooting ranges.

Moreover, Lujan Grisham said during a news conference later Friday that she expects legal challenges to her order and isn’t sure the order will survive in court.

She also admitted that the goal of the order was to inspire a “strong debate” on how to address gun violence.

She added that local residents should be horrified “that so many young people and so many individuals with no training and reckless, criminal behavior are openly carrying firearms in our community.”

“I have to take a tough, direct stand, or basically, I’m ignoring the fact that we lost an 11-year-old,” she said.

Anger against her is now mounting at an extraordinary rate, with state Sen. Greg Baca, the state Senate’s top-ranked Republican, leading the charge.

“A child is murdered, the perpetrator is still on the loose, and what does the governor do? She throws the mayor of Albuquerque under the bus and then targets law-abiding citizens with an unconstitutional gun order,” he said in a statement.

“Tragically, this is what we have come to expect from an administration that refuses to take responsibility for the crime epidemic gripping our state. It is time for the governor to stop pointing fingers and admit that her soft-on-crime approach has failed and put the safety of all New Mexicans in great jeopardy,” he added.

Anger is also brewing in other states, where gun owners worry that Lujan Grisham’s policy could eventually find its way to them.

Vivek Saxena
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