New Mexico Assault Weapon Ban One Step Closer to Reality

New Mexico is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in my life. For years, I hoped to retire to either there or Arizona and just soak up the beauty. I didn’t even realize how much I’d love the area until I visited.

But now, I wouldn’t live there for all the money in the world.

After all, who would want to live in a state that elected a governor who thought she could just suspend the Second Amendment in a city, basically? 

That was smacked down, thankfully, but that doesn’t mean lawmakers there aren’t still engaging in stupid, such as their ill-conceived semi-auto ban. That just passed committee late Wednesday night, by the way.

After hours of debate and uproar from both sides of the aisle, a bill that would ban the sale or possession of certain types of firearms with the aim of increasing public safety has passed the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee.

The committee on Wednesday heard public comments on Senate Bill 17, also known as the Stop Illegal Gun Act — a Democratic-backed bill that would require licensed gun dealers to keep inventory records and implement security measures. The bill would also classify gas-operated semiautomatic firearms, .50 caliber rifles and magazines holding more than 10 rounds as dangerous weapons.

A proposed amendment that would have struck a section from the bill to restrict certain weapons failed on a 5-6 vote after a lengthy discussion from lawmakers. A motion to table the bill also failed by the same tally.

Roughly five hours after the discussion began, the bill passed with a 6-5 vote. Now, the bill will be sent to the House Judiciary Committee. If the bill passes that committee, it will go to the full House before possibly heading to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

In a statement after the bill’s passage, New Mexico House Republicans called it “an outright assault on the Second Amendment and on the freedoms of responsible New Mexicans.”

“Instead of addressing the violent crime crisis plaguing our communities, Democrats are choosing to punish law-abiding citizens and small business owners. That is not public safety. That is political theater,” according to the statement.

Democrats celebrated the bill taking another step toward law.

Of course they celebrated it. They don’t care about anything but restricting gun rights. The statement from House Republicans is dead on the money. Nothing about this will address the violent crime that has plagued cities like Albuquerque so badly that Gov. Michelle Lujuan Grisham thought she could suspend all lawful carry in the entire city. Those acts of violence weren’t carried out by any of the weapons covered in this bill.

Even the magazine ban is little more than political theater, as the House GOP put it. Criminals will get magazines that violate state law pretty easily, especially considering they’re legal in most other states, thus making them easy to traffic. Even if they don’t, how many rounds does it take to kill someone who isn’t expecting to be attacked and can’t defend themself?

All these measures do is put the burden on law-abiding citizens behind the proverbial eight ball in defending themselves from aggression.

Considering that New Mexico is a border state, and this law will impact people who live along that border and may have to deal with the cartels in some way, shape, or form, it’s not difficult to see this law costing innocent people their lives.

If there’s any good news here, it’s that this just narrowly made it out of committee. There’s no guarantee it’ll make it out of the next one or have enough support to become law.

Unfortunately, based on the makeup of the legislature, I’m not holding my breath on that.

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

Help us continue to report on their efforts and legislative successes. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.