Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham dropped a bombshell on Friday, unveiling a new public health order that essentially strips residents of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County of their Second Amendment rights for the next 30 days, regardless of whether they possess a permit.
This draconian order, effective immediately, reads, “No person, other than a law enforcement officer or licensed security officer, shall possess a firearm… either openly or concealed, within cities or counties averaging 1,000 or more violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year since 2021.” Translation: Ordinary citizens are left defenseless in the face of rising crime rates.
Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, issued this order under the guise of declaring gun violence a public health emergency. However, during a news conference, she openly admitted that she expects legal challenges to this order and expressed doubts about its constitutionality.
Here’s the kicker: this order is currently limited to Albuquerque and Bernalillo County and can only be enforced by the New Mexico State Police, who will suddenly have a “significant” presence in the state’s largest city over the next month, so much for local control and autonomy.
If you thought this couldn’t get any worse, think again. Violating this order will likely result in civil penalties and a fine of up to $5,000, according to Lujan Grisham, and could result in the confiscation of the gun.
And it conveniently excludes private property, licensed gun dealers, and shooting ranges. But if you’re traveling, you will have to lock up your firearms in a container or with a trigger lock – which makes having your gun practical for self-defense, right?
The order is defacto martial law, which is addressed by the state constitution. This order is clearly unconstitutional at both the state and federal levels but will take time to work through the courts and will likely be upheld at the state level just as her COVID mandates were by New Mexico’s very liberal courts.
And don’t think this misuse of the healthcare code is temporary. Lujan Grisham’s administration will apparently “amend or remove or adjust” the order after the 30-day period, depending on the ever-mysterious “circumstances.” Translation: it’s a power grab, and she’s playing it by ear to see how far she can push it.
The timing of this order coincides with several tragic shooting deaths of children in Albuquerque.
In a heart-wrenching incident of suspected road rage, the streets of Albuquerque bore witness to tragedy as 11-year-old Froyland Villegas, filled with the joy of a baseball game outing with his family, was suddenly silenced forever.
A sinister specter emerged from a black SUV, unleashing a hailstorm of 17 bullets upon the Villegas family’s parked truck, right outside the backdrop of Isotopes Park, a minor league baseball stadium. Amidst this unfathomable act of violence, Froyland’s aunt clung to life in critical condition, her very existence hanging by a thread. In the backseat, Villegas’ mother and infant brother miraculously escaped the venomous cascade of gunfire unscathed, their lives spared in the midst of unimaginable chaos.
Just weeks prior, the city had wept for another innocent soul, 5-year-old Galilea Samaniego, who was cruelly taken from this world while she lay in peaceful slumber within a motor home. It was a night forever etched in infamy, as four teenage marauders descended upon their community in two stolen vehicles on that fateful August 13th.
In a horrifying act of violence, they unleashed a barrage of gunfire upon the tranquil trailer where little Galilea lay, striking her innocent head with a bullet from a rifle. Her life was extinguished, and her dreams were forever silenced. Justice now casts its shadow upon the teenagers, who face the weighty charges of murder.
These agonizing tales of innocence lost do not stand alone in New Mexico’s recent memory. Taos County bore witness to the tragic death of 13-year-old Amber Archuleta, a bright young soul whose life was cut short within the confines of a family home. A 14-year-old boy, wielding his father’s lethal firearm, shattered the tranquility of that day, leaving a community in shock. The story of Amber’s untimely departure serves as a somber reminder of the consequences that can unfold when firearms fall into the wrong hands, forever altering the course of young lives.
In the face of such heartbreak and sorrow, New Mexico’s residents grapple with the pain of lives cut short and families torn asunder. These stories compel us to seek a future where the innocent are safeguarded from the scourge of violence, where communities can thrive without the looming specter of tragedy, and where the promise of youth is not extinguished in the blink of an eye.
While we can all agree that these incidents are horrifying, Lujan Grisham’s knee-jerk reaction is to trample on the rights of law-abiding citizens rather than addressing the root causes of crime. From New Mexico’s fatherlessness epidemic to a soft-on-crime policy that includes cashless bail, slap on the wrist sentencing, and a years-long attack on law enforcement, the land of enchantment is reaping what it has sown.
We are just unwilling to uproot the bad policies and ideologies that have brought us to this point.
She claims this order is meant to spark a “strong debate” about gun violence. But it’s clear that her true agenda is to disarm responsible gun owners and further infringe upon their rights. This is a classic example of political opportunism masquerading as concern for public safety.
Conservatives are rightfully up in arms about this assault on our constitutional rights. Albuquerque City Councilor Dan Lewis and Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca have lambasted Lujan Grisham for her unconstitutional overreach. They rightly assert that law enforcement should uphold the Constitution, not blindly follow the orders of a power-hungry governor.
Lujan Grisham’s history of pushing for stricter gun laws is well-documented. She’s using this crisis as a pretext to advance her agenda, and she’s not even bothering to hide it. Even though most gun control measures failed to pass this year, she’s vowing to continue her assault on our Second Amendment rights in the future.
Leaving the people of New Mexico defenseless against the lawless gangs and criminals that prey upon peace-loving and law-abiding citizens. The governor should instead wage a war on criminality by mobilizing law enforcement against those who wield guns illegally.
In the end, Lujan Grisham’s order is a gross overreach of power, a slap in the face to responsible gun owners, and a dangerous precedent for the erosion of our constitutional rights. We must remain vigilant and stand up for our freedoms, even in the face of politicians who would exploit tragedy to further their own agenda.
