Gun Control Group Under Investigation For Violating Gun Control Laws
San Juan County Sheriff Shane Ferrari has reportedly initiated an investigation into a gun control group after they allegedly violated a gun control law that they helped enact.
The sheriff announced on Monday that his office was launching an investigation into the gun control group New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence (NMPGV) after they allegedly violated gun control measures. The group was reportedly caught going door-to-door offering gift cards in exchange for unwanted firearms, despite not having sanctioned permission to do so. NMPGV has claimed that the so-called “gun buyback” effort did not meet the legal definition of a firearms transfer because they “dismantle” the guns they receive during the event.
Ferrari’s investigation comes after NMPGV’s private gun buyback in Farmington, New Mexico, was declined by the city government because of public backlash. However, the gun control activists chose to proceed with the buyback without permission, meaning that they will likely be held criminally liable to a gun law they helped to enact.
“Reviewing the law, I do not see where they are exempt from having to undergo a background check and are required to like anyone else,” the sheriff wrote in a Facebook post. “A sale is taking place (gift cards $100 and up), it is advertised as a purchase, and called a ‘buy back.’”
NMPGV is also facing scrutiny for the method they used to “dismantle” the guns, as a photo they shared to brag about their efforts on social media appears to show that they had simply sawed the firearms in half — leaving all of the critical components intact.
Military Arms called out NMPGV in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing: “You exchanged an item with value (gift card) in exchange for the firearms without a background check which is illegal under NM state law. You’re out there advocating for antigun laws all the while you’re breaking antigun laws.”
“The statute defines a ‘sale’ as ‘the delivery or passing of ownership, possession or control of a firearm for a fee or other consideration,’ where ‘consideration’ means ‘anything of value exchanged between the parties to a sale.’ A failure to comply is a crime,” New Mexico state Rep. Stefani Lord (R) wrote on X. “The very few exemptions include sales to a law enforcement agency; otherwise, each party to an unlawful sale in violation of § 30-7-7.1 ‘may be separately charged for the same sale.’”
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is currently waiting to hear back from state officials about the incident.
