New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Friday that an immediate suspension of concealed, open carry in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County would go into effect for 30 days.
She said this suspension is in response to several recent shooting deaths.
These include the death of a 13-year-old girl in July, the death of a 5-year-old girl in August and the death of an 11-year-old boy Wednesday. New Mexico has also seen two mass shootings this year – one in Farmington and another in Red River.
According to a public health order issued Friday, “no person other than a law enforcement officer or a licensed security officer shall possess a firearm… whether openly or concealed in cities or counties averaging 1,000 or more violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year since 2021,” according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and “more than 90 firearm-related emergency department visits per 100,000 residents from July 2022 to July 2023.”
Firearms are prohibited on state property, including state buildings, schools and places where children gather, such as parks. There are some exceptions to this mandate.
“Citizens with permits to carry firearms are free to possess their weapons on private property (such as at a gun range or gun store), provided they transport the firearm in a locked box, use a trigger lock, or some other mechanism that renders the gun incapable of being fired,” said a press release from the governor.
Other stipulations included in the public health order included monthly inspections of licensed firearm dealers to ensure compliance and a comprehensive report by the state’s health department to be issued within 20 days. Data about gunshot victims, firearms used, circumstances of gunshot injuries and healthcare impacts are expected to be included in the report.
According to an April report from NPR, New Mexico has one of the highest rates of police killings per capita in the country. It has around 2.1 million residents.
“The time for standard measures has passed,” said the governor, a Democrat. “And when New Mexicans are afraid to be in crowds, to take their kids to school, to leave a baseball game – when their very right to exist is threatened by the prospect of violence at every turn – something is very wrong.”
Gun rights activists from the National Rifle Association were quick to criticize the action. In an X post, the organization said it “echoes tactics seen in tyrannical regimes, not in a free America.”
On the national level, the federal government also made moves concerning gun violence this week It announced a proposed rule “to make clear there is no gun show loophole’ or ‘internet loophole’ in federal law – which would save lives by making clear when gun sellers are required to obtain a license and run background checks.”