New Mexico Governor Suspends Gun Rights, Flouts Constitution
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) recently announced a temporary suspension of open and concealed carry laws in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Sitting alongside law enforcement officials, the governor cited recent gun violence involving children as the rationale behind this 30-day ban. “I have to take a tough direct stand, or basically I’m just ignoring the fact that we lost an 11-year-old, another child,” Grisham declared.
Many are asking whether the governor’s move is constitutional, including Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen. “While I understand and appreciate the urgency, the temporary ban challenges the foundation of our Constitution, which I swore an oath to uphold,” Allen stated. And indeed, it does. The U.S. Constitution and New Mexico’s statutes offer no provision allowing the governor to suspend the right to carry firearms unilaterally.
State Senate Republican Leader Greg Baca minced no words in his rebuke. “She throws the mayor of Albuquerque under the bus and then targets law-abiding citizens with an unconstitutional gun order,” Baca remarked. The governor herself anticipates challenges, saying, “I’ve warned everyone that we expect a direct challenge, probably while you’re writing this, we’re getting a challenge, and that’s the way it should work.”
Grisham acknowledges that she doesn’t expect criminals to follow this order. Instead, She hopes it will send a “resounding message” to law-abiding citizens to report gun crime. One can’t help but wonder if this strategy is less about public safety and more about political theater.
Grisham’s stance overlooks data from states like Florida and Texas that show gun carriers are between six and seven times more law-abiding than the police. Law-abiding citizens aren’t the problem. The problem is criminals, who, by the governor’s admission, aren’t likely to heed the new regulations.
The public health order comes with caveats — it doesn’t apply to law enforcement officers, licensed security officers, private property, firing ranges, or licensed firearm dealers. It also calls for monthly inspections of licensed firearm dealers and wastewater testing for specific drugs at public schools. But these nuances only muddy the waters without addressing the central issue, which is the governor’s apparent disregard for constitutional rights.
This isn’t just a New Mexico issue; it’s an American issue. The idea that one person’s decision can temporarily suspend the rights guaranteed by the Constitution sets a dangerous precedent. It risks transforming unalienable rights into privileges that can be revoked at will. And this is a slippery slope that not just conservatives, but every American, should be wary of.
The governor is expected to face immediate legal challenges, and rightfully so. The Constitution isn’t a menu of options; it’s a safeguard of liberties. A governor’s temporary emotions should never trump a citizen’s permanent rights.
