New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has announced her legislative wish list for the 30-day legislative session which began Tuesday in Santa Fe, and gun control is at the top, with calls for raising the minimum age for purchasing semi-auto firearms and a 14-day waiting period on gun purchases.
She also wants to ban guns in parks, playgrounds and polling places, and open the door for legal action against gun makers for “deceptive trade practices.”
According to Fox News, there are more than 20 “public safety bills, sponsored mostly by Democratic legislators” in the works, with some targeting other issues than guns.
Lujan Grisham also wants to stiffen penalties for felons in possession of firearms, making it a Second Degree felony.
The Associated Press is reporting about a proposed federal Go Safe Act aimed at reducing the firepower of a typical modern semiautomatic rifle, and limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds for rifles and m15 rounds for pistols.
Already steam is building among grassroots gun rights activists who are planning a “Second Amendment Day Rally” on Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Capitol. The event is being organized by the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, according to the New Mexico Political Report.
Lujan Grisham tried to suspend the Second Amendment last year in Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo County, but the action drew a flurry of legal actions and the governor backed off. She is now hoping to make it law, by getting legislation to legally prohibit guns inside county or municipal parks, playgrounds and adjacent parking lots, according to the governor’s office.
Here are the high points listed on Lujan Grisham’s website:
- The Firearm Industry Accountability Act amends the state statue to allow gun manufacturers to be held liable for deceptive trade practices. Sponsored by Rep. Christine Chandler.
- Assault weapons ban lawfully regulates the manufacture, possession and sale of weapons of war, most often the gun used in mass casualty events. Sponsored by Rep. Andrea Romero.
- Raising the age to purchase automatic firearms to 21 from the current minimum of 18 years of age. Sponsored by Rep. Reena Szczepanski.
- Firearms purchase waiting period creates a protracted waiting period of 14 days between the initiation of a federal background check and a buyer taking possession of a firearm, thereby reducing the opportunity for gun violence and suicide. Sponsored by Rep. Andrea Romero.
- Prohibiting guns in polling places makes it illegal to carry firearms within 100 feet of polling places during an election. Sponsored by Sen. Peter Wirth.
- Prohibiting guns in parks and playgrounds will make it illegal to carry a firearm in county or municipal parks, playgrounds, and their accompanying parking lots.
- Felons in possession of firearms increases the criminal penalty for felons found to be in possession of guns making it a 2nd degree felony. Sponsored by Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil.
Just how far any of these proposals will get is speculation at this point. There reportedly is some momentum behind a couple of the proposals, but with only 30 days to move these measures, it may not be enough time to get things done. It’s a safe bet opposition will be stiff.
