New Mexico Republicans are accusing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of undermining the Second Amendment after the Democrat introduced gun control proposals on Friday.
Lujan Grisham announced that a 30-day state legislative session slated to begin Tuesday that will include “the largest and most comprehensive public safety package in our state’s history.”
The gun control proposals include a 14-day background check waiting period on gun purchases, prohibiting guns in polling places and parks, and a minimum age requirement of 21 years on semiautomatic firearm purchases.
The package also includes the Firearm Industry Accountability Act, which would “amend the state statue [sic] to allow gun manufacturers to be held liable for deceptive trade practices.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (Steven St John/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File)
“The constitutionality questions are beginning to be very complicated in the arena of gun violence,” Lujan Grisham said at a press conference Friday. “We are going to continue this effort, following what is going on around the country.
“There will be others who will follow in our footsteps, creating their own public safety corridors, which in effect also make New Mexicans safer.”
State Sen. Greg Baca, the Republican minority floor leader, accused the two-term governor of taking “a hyper-partisan turn.”
“Senate Republicans are eager to join the governor in tackling New Mexico’s crime epidemic, and to that end, we have introduced a number of commonsense solutions,” Baca said in a release.
New Mexico Republican state Sen. Greg Baca (Fox News Digital/File)
“Unfortunately, today’s press conference took a hyper-partisan turn with the announcement of several anti-2nd Amendment measures targeting New Mexico gun owners who only want to protect themselves and their families,” he added.
In another statement, Steve Pearce, chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, called the Democrats’ proposals “another egregious attack on New Mexicans’ Second Amendment rights.”
“If the governor really cares about keeping our communities safe, she will focus on giving tougher penalties to criminals, keeping criminals behind bars while supporting law enforcement and allowing them to do their job,” Pearce argued in a statement. “Republicans will be putting forth multiple bills this session that will get tough on criminals without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaking in Santa Fe, N.M., on June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
“The governor’s continued assaults on New Mexicans’ constitutional rights must be stopped,” he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Grisham’s office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
