NRA-ILA | New Mexico: House Bill 77 Stalls In House Committee For Now!

New Mexico: House Bill 77 Stalls In House Committee For Now!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Keep Calling and E-mailing Committee Members in Opposition to this Measure

Last night, due to an 8-8 tie vote, the House Judiciary Committee failed to advance House Bill 77, state Representative Miguel Garcia's sweeping gun control bill to end almost all private firearm transfers in New Mexico. This fight is far from over because supporters of HB 77 are continuing to work on amending the bill in an attempt to move it forward as soon as possible! Please thank the eight committee members who stood with law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen and politely register your displeasure with those who did not.

Second Amendment stalwarts, state Representatives Nate Gentry (R-ABQ) & Bill Rehm (R-ABQ), took the lead in pointing out dozens of serious technical and policy flaws in this shoddily-drafted bill by Rep. Miguel Garcia (D-ABQ) and a hastily-drawn up amendment offered by Rep.Brian Egolf (D-Santa Fe). One of the most glaring of these errors is that the amended bill would allow certain family members to transfer a firearm to a minor child without a background check - but require a background check on a firearm transfer to an adult son, daughter, nephew, niece or grandchild! Other problematic language may effectively prevent the state Department of Public Safety from conducting the very background checks the bill purports to require. Committee Chairman Gail Chasey (D-ABQ) and most of her fellow Democrats on this committee chose to ignore these important issues and force a vote on the measure regardless. Representative Eliseo Lee Alcon (D-Milan) was the lone committee Democrat to vote against a "do pass" recommendation. (Note: the requirement that DPS maintain a registry of lawful gun buyers has been removed, a point to remember when communicating with state legislators on the bill.)

Thank you to the hundreds of NRA and New Mexico Shooting Sports Association members and industry supporters (including representatives of Calibers and Ron Peterson Firearms in Albuquerque) who made the trip to Santa Fe for this important committee hearing. Although testimony was limited to an hour each for both opponents and proponents -- another indication of just how fast gun control advocates want to ram this measure through -- those who were able to speak against the bill did a terrific job.

How members of the House Judiciary Committee voted on HB 77 is indicated below. Please thank those who stood with law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen by voting NO, and politely register your displeasure with those who did not and voted YES.

It is also critical that you contact members of the House Appropriations Committee (contact information provided below), the next group that will consider this bill, and urge them to OPPOSE HB 77. The start-up cost for HB 77 is estimated to be nearly $1 million. And on top of that, lawful gun buyers and sellers will be hit with a $25-$35 fee (gun tax) under the bill for each background check. Tell committee members that if this is such a compelling public safety measure, then the state should absorb the entire cost of implementing and maintaining it. For more information from NRA-ILA on restrictions on private transfers, please click here.

To determine your state lawmaker and obtain their contact information, click here.

House Judiciary Committee Votes:

YES -- Rep. Gail Chasey, Chairman (D-ABQ)

505-986-4412

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New Mexico: House Bill 77 Stalls In House Committee For Now!

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