Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Gun Control Has Failed New Mexicans

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Gun Control Has Failed New Mexicans

Dear New Mexico NRA Member:

Last week marked the two-year anniversary of New Mexico's ban on private firearm transfers, otherwise known as the state's "universal background check" scheme, taking effect.  That law and the subsequent red flag firearms surrender bill passed in 2020 have been abject failures at controlling crime in the Land of Enchantment.  NRA-ILA and law enforcement warned state lawmakers that these misguided proposals would not impact criminals and would only result in less freedom for the law-abiding.

This excellent opinion piece written by Zac Fort, president of the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association (NRA's state affiliate), says it all.  NRA-ILA remains committed to working alongside NMSSA and New Mexico gun owners to fight against any further restrictions on your rights by anti-gun politicians at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, or in your cities and towns.

Gun Control Has Failed New Mexicans

Two years have now passed since the first of several hotly debated gun-control bills passed in Santa Fe. When these gun-control bills were passed, we were told by supporters that these laws were “proven” to reduce violent crime and homicides. But what has actually transpired since? Quite the opposite.

Per the FBI, the homicide rate in New Mexico sharply rose in 2019 – the latest year of data available. That was the year the gun-control law criminalizing private firearm sales went into effect. The City of Albuquerque saw a record number of homicides in 2019. In 2020, homicides in Albuquerque were only slightly below the record set in 2019. And in 2021? While the year is only half-way through, Albuquerque has already seen a record number of homicides for the first six months of the year. Many American metropolitan areas have seen increases in violent crime in 2020 and into 2021, but most are not seeing the record levels Albuquerque is tragically experiencing.

We were warned this would happen. Back in 2019, a bipartisan group of New Mexico Sheriffs representing 30 of New Mexico’s 33 counties, collectively representing a majority of the state’s residents, cautioned against the policy and said it was a distraction from the real issues. Their words of caution were disregarded by some and sharply criticized by others. But ultimately, the data now shows those sheriffs were correct. Criminalizing private firearms sales has not been shown to be a deterrent to violent crime or homicide in New Mexico.

In the 2020 legislative session, a “red-flag” firearm confiscation order law, known as the “Extreme Risk Protection Order” act was passed. The law allows law enforcement to take away someone’s firearms under a purely civil order – no crime has to be committed, or alleged to have been committed for the order to be sought. However, the law doesn’t connect someone in distress to resources to help them, it simply sends a team of police officers to their home where a search warrant is executed for their firearms and ammunition. An analysis of the law after it had been in place for a year found that it was only used four times, to which one of the law’s author’s responded by stating: “clearly it’s not working as well as we’d like it to.” But should the scant usage be a surprise? The law doesn’t connect someone to help, but it puts both someone in distress and police into a tense situation.

The “Extreme Risk Protection Order” law was a vast expansion of police power in New Mexico. It gives police the authority to execute an extensive search warrant against a defendant and confiscate private, constitutionally protected property under a purely civil order. Ironically, after expanding police power in the 2020 legislative session, curtailing police power was a common theme in the 2021 legislative session.

When New Mexico politicians use the term “gun-violence” they are using it as a rhetorical escape from discussing the real problems that plague our state. What they call “gun-violence” would be more aptly described as “failed-justice-system-violence” or “lack-of-economic-opportunity-violence.” Too many New Mexicans are entrenched in cycles of poverty and abuse. The Roundhouse putting the target on New Mexico gun owners isn’t going to break a single one of those cycles.

Gun control laws passed in Santa Fe have failed New Mexicans. We aren’t safer today than we were before, but we have less freedom for it – and it isn’t just Second-Amendment rights under fire from gun control laws. Wasting time and efforts on divisive and ineffective policies has only set New Mexico further back and distracted us from the real issues we need to face as a state. 

Zachary Fort is the President of New Mexico Shooting Sports Association. The mission of New Mexico Shooting Sports Association is to promote the shooting sports in New Mexico and defend the rights of New Mexico firearm owners.


TRENDING NOW
Canada Announces New Gun Bans, More Gun Control on the Horizon

News  

Monday, December 9, 2024

Canada Announces New Gun Bans, More Gun Control on the Horizon

On December 5, at a late afternoon press conference in Ottawa, Canada’s federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced that 324 additional makes and variants of rifles would be added to the 2020 list of ...

Hunter Biden Pardon Makes a Fitting Mockery of Federal Gun Control

News  

Monday, December 9, 2024

Hunter Biden Pardon Makes a Fitting Mockery of Federal Gun Control

NRA-ILA routinely points out that it is more informative to watch anti-gun politicians and officials’ behavior than to listen to the platitudes they spew about enacting gun control to protect the public. 

Operation Choke Point 2.0? Financial Services Discrimination Back in the News

News  

Monday, December 9, 2024

Operation Choke Point 2.0? Financial Services Discrimination Back in the News

The plague of businesses and even individuals being exiled from the modern economy by politically motivated regulators is back in the news, thanks largely to a recent segment on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in ...

Anti-Gun Extremists Continue Long History of Failure in PA Courts

News  

Monday, December 9, 2024

Anti-Gun Extremists Continue Long History of Failure in PA Courts

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have been trying, and failing, to circumvent Pennsylvania’s firearm preemption law, first enacted in 1974, for decades.  

NRA Files U.S. Supreme Court Amicus Brief Defending American Firearms Manufacturers in Lawsuit Brought by Mexico

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

NRA Files U.S. Supreme Court Amicus Brief Defending American Firearms Manufacturers in Lawsuit Brought by Mexico

Today, NRA filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos.

Michigan: Anti-Gun Legislators Make Final Push Before Close of Session

Friday, December 6, 2024

Michigan: Anti-Gun Legislators Make Final Push Before Close of Session

With less than seven session days remaining, anti-gun legislators are aggressively pushing several bills that threaten the Second Amendment rights of Michigan citizens. These efforts come as they aim to cement their legacy before losing ...

PA: Age Restriction Lawsuit Update for Blair County

Friday, December 6, 2024

PA: Age Restriction Lawsuit Update for Blair County

You may have seen the following alert where NRA along with Firearms Policy Coalition and two individuals filed a federal lawsuit in western Pennsylvania challenging Pennsylvania's prohibition on concealed carry by adults under 21. 

Ohio: Pro-Gun Legislation Passes House Committee, Eligible for Floor Vote

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Ohio: Pro-Gun Legislation Passes House Committee, Eligible for Floor Vote

Today, the House Insurance Committee passed Senate Bill 58, a bill to prohibit the state from requiring fees or firearms liability insurance for the possession of firearms. Additionally, Senate Bill 148, The Second Amendment Privacy Act, was ...

California: Governor Newsom Signs Multiple Anti-Gun Bills into Law

Friday, September 27, 2024

California: Governor Newsom Signs Multiple Anti-Gun Bills into Law

On September 24th, Governor Newsom continued his crusade to erode Second Amendment rights in California by signing several anti-gun bills into law. NRA actively opposed these bills throughout the session and will continue to fight ...

Canada’s Gun Grab – Running Out of Road

News  

Monday, August 12, 2024

Canada’s Gun Grab – Running Out of Road

The wheels are coming off of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s gun confiscation program (“buyback”).

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.