On Friday evening, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) issued an emergency order suspending the right of law-abiding citizens to open and conceal carry firearms in crime-ridden Albuquerque and the surrounding county for at least 30 days, after declaring a public health emergency in response to a spate of recent gun violence.
Grisham, who apparently thinks criminals will follow her orders, says she expects legal challenges, but was 'compelled to act' following recent shootings, AP reports.
The Governor of New Mexico has just declared the 1st & 2nd Amendment “does not exist” due to an “emergency.”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 9, 2023
Under this legal theory *all* of our “rights” are essentially eliminated.
Watch the most evil & tyrannical 60 seconds you’ve ever heard from a politician: pic.twitter.com/xLpMSTbyi2
"Today I issued a 30-day ban on the open & concealed carrying of guns in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Gun violence is killing between 2 and 3 children every month in NM - every single one of these deaths is unconscionable and they must stop," Grisham posted on X.
Today I issued a 30-day ban on the open & concealed carrying of guns in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Gun violence is killing between 2 and 3 children every month in NM - every single one of these deaths is unconscionable and they must stop. https://t.co/KJdXUMBVaG
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) September 9, 2023
Grisham declared in a statement, "As I said yesterday, the time for standard measures has passed. 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."
Yes governor, now law-abiding citizens won't be able to match force with criminal threats while in public, after failed progressive policies transformed Albuquerque into a crime-infested metro area with soaring violence.
According to a recent report by the Major Cities Chiefs Association, Albuquerque had one of the highest homicide rates in the country.
Constitutional law attorney Jonathan Turley said the move by Grisham is "flagrantly unconstitutional under existing Second Amendment precedent."
Turley continued, "Democratic leaders have increasing turned to a claim used successfully during the pandemic in declaring a health emergency to maximize unilateral authority of governors."
"The taking away of individual rights as an emergency measure is hardly new. For centuries, governments have claimed that the suspension of individual rights is necessary for the good of citizens," he said.
You thought the "public health emergency" power grab was a one and done with COVID?
— Sean Agnew (@seanagnew) September 9, 2023
Do not comply. https://t.co/PXLzgt280e
Trial Balloon?
Grisham's move signals a new attack strategy by Democrats on the Second Amendment. We must remind readers ever since the 'defund the police' movement began several years ago, many Democratic-led cities have faced soaring crime rates. Failed social justice reform only sparked more violence, which may have been intentional to create a crisis and then offer a novel solution with even more gun control.
This “Public health order” is a trial balloon for things to come. The moment we allowed them to do this with COVID, we opened the door. https://t.co/FFSiwDHPzk
— Nick Short (@PoliticalShort) September 9, 2023
And this...
The 2nd amendment isn’t a recommendation. It’s a right.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) September 9, 2023
Friendly suggestion to @GovMLG on how to *actually* reduce violent crime in your state: focus on sealing your own state’s southern border & stop the virtue signaling elsewhere. https://t.co/RgzpFZAPs8
Democrats have faced gun control roadblocks ever since the US Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen in 2022, which hindered their ability to pass expansive laws restricting guns ever since.
Now, the tactic is to use emergency orders to suspend rights - which police chiefs for both Albuquerque and Bernalillo Counties have said might be civil violations.
Social media users on X weren't pleased with the governor:
Every law enforcement officer in your state should unite & ignore you.
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) September 9, 2023
So should the citizens of NM. Do not comply.
Because criminals will undoubtedly ignore you & this unconstitutional order empowers them. https://t.co/UCmavZwsJb
Given the real problem of crime in some places, and that people carrying for self-defense are not the perpetrators, the appropriate response is to refuse to comply. https://t.co/7XVqMYvfs1
— J.D. Tuccille (@JD_Tuccille) September 9, 2023
These guys respect emergency declaration orders. They’ll voluntarily disarm just like in old Mexico where gun possession is illegal, I’m sure….. https://t.co/OXE2pUAtxI pic.twitter.com/QkT84WfQtZ
— Randy Clark (@RandyClarkBBTX) September 9, 2023
Tyrants always trample on rights under the false guise of safeguarding the public. https://t.co/MhrHjY5FhE
— Justin Amash (@justinamash) September 9, 2023
Literally treason. You’re not a dictator. You do not have the authority to disregard the US Constitution. The US Constitution cannot be altered via EO. You do not get to disregard your oath of office. Your days in office are numbered. https://t.co/msp9ufnSVu
— Alex Shepard 🇺🇸 (@Sinnersaint39) September 9, 2023
Albuquerque for the next 30 days: https://t.co/aRvnMo8L5C pic.twitter.com/bVIdTweBaN
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) September 9, 2023
How many of those murders, or any murders, are by people with CCW permits?
— Kostas Moros (@MorosKostas) September 9, 2023
Will you be personally reimbursing the taxpayers after the inevitable legal challenges result in the government having to pay plaintiffs' legal fees under 42 U.S. Code § 1988? https://t.co/rp66l6Rdji
Remember the past.
In New Mexico, Governor @GovMLG's capricious gun ban in the name of "public health" serves to remind us that history doesn't always repeat itself but it often rhymes. https://t.co/7NL0No9235 https://t.co/7NL0No9235 pic.twitter.com/loqjzf9EfG
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) September 9, 2023
Any bets on which Democrat governors will follow suit?
— Natalie F Danelishen (@Chesschick01) September 9, 2023