New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Friday that she is suspending gun rights for 30 days. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hit back at the suspension of gun rights.
The Democratic governor of New Mexico ordered that open and conceal carry laws would be suspended for 30 days in public areas in the city of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Gov. Grisham is justifying the suspension of gun rights by claiming an emergency public health order is needed to prevent deaths involving firearms.
DeSantis slammed the so-called emergency public health order on Saturday morning, “Just a few months after ending the COVID ‘public health emergency,’ the Governor of New Mexico has declared a new ‘public health emergency’: Guns.”
“She is now asserting the power to infringe on Second Amendment rights by executive fiat. This assertion is not surprising — since 2020, ‘public health’ has become a pretext for depriving citizens of civil liberties and trampling on our Constitutional rights,” the Republican presidential candidate proclaimed.
DeSantis declared, “It ends when I am President. Your 2nd Amendment rights SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.”
Other reactions on social media declared the order to be “unconstitutional.
Constitutional law attorney Jonathan Turleywrote, “The order, in my view, is flagrantly unconstitutional under existing Second Amendment precedent. It could also be a calculated effort to evade a ruling by making the period of suspension so short that it becomes moot before any final decision is reached by a court.”
The National Rifle Association said Gov. Grisham’s “unconstitutional assertion of canceling the 1st and 2nd Amendments in an ’emergency’ echoes tactics seen in tyrannical regimes, not in a free America,” adding, “The NRA remains vigilant in protecting the rights of every American citizen.”
Vivek Ramaswamyargued, “The 2nd amendment isn’t a recommendation. It’s a right. 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.”
Second Amendment advocate Dana Loesch wrote on the X social media platform formerly known as Twitter, “This shameful elected official makes the law-abiding pay for the crimes of teenagers in illegal possession. There is zero evidence that LTC holders are responsible. No mention either of your recently-former Soros-backed DA who helped cause your crime wave.”
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado said, “The Governor of New Mexico now wants to arrest law-abiding gun owners simply for owning guns. Either she isn’t aware of the Constitution or has simply decided to go fascist and ignore it. Either way, we have a problem.”
Elon Musktweeted, “At risk of stating what should be obvious, deliberately violating the Constitution is next-level illegal. How soon can this person be removed from office?”
Former Congressman Justin Amash added, “Tyrants always trample on rights under the false guise of safeguarding the public.”
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen appeared to play both sides of the fence regarding the order that infringes on gun rights in his statement:
Today, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an emergency order temporarily suspending open and concealed carry laws in Albuquerque and throughout Bernalillo County for the next 30 days. This move has been positioned as a response to the alarming and tragic rise in gun violence, particularly the heart-wrenching death of an 11-year-old boy this past week. First and foremost, every lost life is a tragedy, and the well-being of our community is of paramount concern to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. We share in the collective grief and urgency to address this issue. However, as the elected Sheriff, I have reservations regarding this order. While I understand and appreciate the urgency, the temporary ban challenges the foundation of our Constitution, which I swore an oath to uphold. I am wary of placing my deputies in positions that could lead to civil liability conflicts, as well as the potential risks posed by prohibiting law-abiding citizens from their constitutional right to self-defense.
Grisham has already conceded that the legality of her emergency public health order will be challenged. She attempted to validate the suspension of gun rights by highlighting recent shootings in Albuquerque, including a road rage incident that killed 11-year-old Froyland Villegas outside a minor league baseball stadium.
“I’ve warned everyone that we expect a direct challenge, probably as you’re writing this we’re getting a challenge, and that’s the way it should work,” Grisham said on Friday. “But I have to take a tough direct stand, or basically I’m just ignoring the fact that we lost an 11-year-old, another child.”
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