New Mexico Gun Ban Bill on Verge of Defeat

The sweeping gun ban bill in New Mexico that also includes a broad number of new mandates for federally licensed firearms dealers is on the verge of defeat, but Second Amendment advocates need to continue to keep up their pressure on lawmakers. 

As we reported on Tuesday, the House Judiciary committee did not take a vote on SB 17 during its meeting late Monday/early Tuesday. Instead, the committee said it needed more time to read through a number of proposed amendments. With the legislative session expiring at noon on Thursday, every hour of delay makes it harder for the bill to get to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk, and one of the bill’s sponsors appears to have conceded defeat in an interview with the Santa Fe New Mexican. 

One of the lead sponsors of Senate Bill 17, Sen. Debbie O’Malley, D-Albuquerque, said Tuesday the measure is unlikely to get another hearing after the House Judiciary Committee delayed a vote early Tuesday morning.

“There’s not enough time to hear it again,” she said.

“Of course, it’s disappointing that we won’t hear that bill,” O’Malley added. “But we’re going to keep trying.”

The House Judiciary Committee debated the bill — which would ban what it calls “extremely dangerous weapons” and add new regulations for firearms dealers to combat gun trafficking — from around 11:30 p.m. Monday to 12:40 a.m. Tuesday.

But the committee didn’t vote after another sponsor, Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, said she needed time to work through lawmakers’ proposed amendments.

The House Judiciary committee did not meet again on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning no committee meeting is listed on the House schedule of committee hearings for today. SB 17 still needs to be voted out of committee before it can be sent to the House floor, and if the committee were to adopt any of the amendments offered on Monday evening, the Senate would need to concur with those changes before SB 17 could be sent to the governor. 

I’m almost ready to congratulate New Mexico gun owners for successfully derailing SB 17, but I’ve seen too many last minute legislative shenanigans to call it a win before this year’s session has officially been gaveled to a close. We could still see a surprise meeting of House Judiciary, or some parliamentary sleight of hand to bring the bill to the floor without a committee vote. 

Behind the scenes, @GovMLG is still pushing hard for SB17 to get it to the House Floor before noon on Thursday. We can’t let up now. https://t.co/DYzCOTjbOR

— NM Shooting Sports Association (@NM_SSA) February 18, 2026

Michelle Lujan Grisham has been trying to sign a gun ban bill the entire time she’s been in office, and this is the last chance she’ll get (unless she brings lawmakers back for a special session on gun control, as she’s threatened to do in the past). I’m sure she’s twisting arms and sweet-talking as many legislators as she can in an attempt to move SB 17 forward, but those lawmakers are also hearing from thousands of New Mexico gun owners… and even some gun control activists who aren’t convinced SB 17 is a good idea. 

… Miranda Viscoli, executive director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, had warned the legislation was “legally vulnerable and likely to backfire.”

“By passing a ban this broad, we are handing the U.S. Supreme Court a perfect opportunity to deliver a definitive, nationwide ruling against state-level firearm restrictions,” Viscoli told The New Mexican last week.

“Beyond the legal risk,” she added, “the bill’s immediate effect will likely be a surge in panic buying of the exact weapons this bill is trying to limit.”

Viscoli’s opposition to the Everytown-crafted bill is probably worth a post all its own, but I’ll wait until after we’re assured of SB 17s defeat on Thursday afternoon. Between now and then New Mexico Second Amendment advocates need to assume the bill is still a live threat to their rights, and keep up the calls and emails to their state representatives.

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.

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