Originally published September 14, 2023 4:00 pm PDT
Guns represent a “public health emergency,” according to Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
QUICK FACTS:
- Gun sales have surged following New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) executive order banning the carrying of firearms.
- The executive order was part of a response to the shooting death of a 13-year-old and two other children who were murdered.
- According to the owner of ABQ Guns gun store in Albuquerque, Arnie Gallegos, many citizens are “rightfully concerned about their freedoms.”
- A clerk for the gun store Right to Bear Arms similarly stated that government overreach boosts firearm sales.
- “We have seen a definite jump in traffic because people are nervous, and rightfully so, when they think their right to purchase a gun won’t be around in the near future,” the clerk told The Epoch Times.
- The clerk noted that Democratic gun policies are the “greatest salesman of all time.”
REACTIONS TO FIREARM RESTRICTIONS:
- New Mexico’s Democratic Attorney General Raúl Torrez said he would not defend the governor in lawsuits on the matter because Lujan Grisham’s executive order is unconstitutional.
- “Simply put, I do not believe that the Emergency Order will have any meaningful impact on public safety but, more importantly, I do not believe it passes constitutional muster,” Torrez wrote in a letter.
- Two Republican state representatives are looking to impeach the governor over the executive order.
- “This emergency order violates the Governor’s oath to protect and defend the rights of New Mexicans and is illegal in nature,” Representatives John Block and Sefani Lord said in a joint statement. “The legislature has a duty to intervene when the government is overstepping boundaries, and Governor Grisham’s order and comments disqualify her from continuing her tenure as governor.”
- “This is an abhorrent attempt to impose a radical, progressive agenda on an unwilling populous,” Lord said. “Rather than addressing crime at its core, Governor Grisham is restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
- “I have a newsflash for the Governor: The Second Amendment is an absolute right and so is my authority to impeach you for violating your oath to New Mexico and the United States.”
BACKGROUND:
- American Faith reported that U.S. District Judge David Urias revoked a section of the public health order that initially suspended the public’s right to carry firearms in Albuquerque.
- In the executive order, State Police were required to penalize those not adhering to the order with potential fines reaching up to $5,000.
- Prior to Urias’ decision, Albuquerque’s local sheriff and police chief, made their stance clear by not endorsing the enforcement of this order.
