Following a ban on firearm carrying, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) said she is “waiting” for the state’s Republican Party to thank her.
Last week, the governor issued a ban on open and concealed carry of guns for 30 days in Albuquerque and the surrounding area. The order was in response to rising gun violence in the area. The move was quickly criticized by Republicans but also faced significant scrutiny from her party.
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“I’m still waiting on a thank-you note from @NewMexicoGOP,” Lujan Grisham said in a social media post on Thursday. “Way to use my call to action around #gunviolence as a fundraiser instead of using it as an opportunity for immediate action to save New Mexican lives.”
I’m still waiting on a thank-you note from@NewMexicoGOP. Way to use my call to action around #gunviolence as a fundraiser instead of using it as an opportunity for immediate action to save New Mexican lives.
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) September 14, 2023
In a television appearance following the ban, the governor said, “Look, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think I had the right.”
“I have the right,” she reiterated, explaining the gun violence scourge constitutes a public health emergency.
However, on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Urias placed a temporary restraining order on the ban, blocking enforcement.
The judge claimed her order contradicted judicial precedent set in recent Supreme Court rulings, pointing specifically to the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen decision in 2022. He further said it violates Second Amendment rights to self-defense.
The National Rifle Association additionally filed a lawsuit on Thursday, claiming the ban is “unconstitutional.”
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“Please rescind your unlawful and blatantly unconstitutional orders and uphold your oath to defend the constitutional rights of those in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Until then, we’ll see you in court,” NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch wrote in a letter.
As the order had already been temporarily blocked by a district judge, Lujan Grisham responded to the organization, calling it “a little late to the party.”
