New Mexico Governor Revises Order Suspending the Right to Carry Firearms

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks in Albuquerque, N.M., on Nov. 3, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has decided to revise her emergency health order, which initially suspended all forms of gun carry in the state’s largest city, after facing multiple legal challenges.

Ms. Grisham initially placed a 30-day ban on open and concealed firearms in crime-ridden Albuquerque, New Mexico, and surrounding Bernalillo County as part of a public health emergency over “gun violence.”

She linked her controversial decision to recent shooting deaths of children in these locations, including the deaths of a 13-year-old girl on Aug. 14, and an 11-year-old boy on Sept. 6, as well as two mass shootings this year.

Her order outraged gun-rights advocates and faced criticism from fellow Democrats and law enforcement officials who deemed it unconstitutional. Gun rights organizations filed a lawsuit against the governor.

Ms. Grisham said on Sept. 15 that she had removed the previous provision and replaced it with one that temporarily prohibits gun carry in parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.

The Democratic governor said that she would continue pushing for measures to ensure public safety.

“I’m going to continue pushing to make sure that all of us are using every resource available to put an end to this public health emergency with the urgency it deserves,” she said in a statement.

“I will not accept the status quo—enough is enough,” Ms. Grisham added. She made the announcement in Albuquerque alongside state legislative leadership and public safety officials.

According to her office, the updated order also clarifies that the limitation of gun carry does not apply to parklands managed by the Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department or State Land Office.

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Enforcement

This came after a federal judge temporarily blocked the order on the grounds that her 30-day suspension of firearm carry rights went against a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that people had a right to carry a gun outside their homes for self-defense.

“They just want the right to carry their guns,” District Court Judge David Urias, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said of plaintiffs requesting a temporary restraining order on parts of the order.

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said on Sept. 12 that he had made it clear to Ms. Grisham that his department will not uphold what he considers an unconstitutional public health emergency.

The Sheriff said he remains “focused and committed” to finding meaningful solutions and that Ms. Grisham’s executive order has “only distracted everyone from that process.”

“Our objective is to focus on the pressing challenges of violent crime and gun violence in our community without distractions,” Mr. Allen’s office told The Epoch Times.

The sheriff’s Transparency and Public Information Officer Jayme Fuller told The Epoch Times that the sheriff has been in contact with the governor’s office since the public health order went into effect on Sept. 8.

In the days after the gun ban, Albuquerque’s mayor and Bernalillo County’s sheriff both called for a special session of the state’s legislature to deal with gun-related crime.

Mayor Tim Keller said he needed legislation to fix a broken criminal justice system, regulate assault weapons, and provide addiction and mental health services, among other measures.

“Albuquerque families can’t afford political debates that distract us from fighting violent crime,” Mr. Keller wrote in a Tuesday letter to the governor.

Around 500 people die by guns each year in New Mexico, which ranks sixth among U.S. states for gun deaths per capita, according to gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety. Albuquerque is among the 10 most dangerous U.S. cities, based on FBI violent crime data.

Allan Stein and Reuters contributed to this report.