The coordinated attack on law-abiding New Mexicans Second Amendment rights by the media, gun control advocates and Democrats in the Roundhouse is already in full swing in advance of the 2022 session.

Gun control is here. The progressive leadership recently fast-tracked and bypassed public input including the full legislative body to pass a firearm ban in the Roundhouse. The debate was convoluted and secretive, as the progressive lawmakers opted to discuss much of the matter behind closed doors. Before the progressives stripped away the Second Amendment rights of the people, it was revealed that legislative staff had already been working behind the scenes to implement the firearm ban before any other lawmaker was made aware of the restrictive plan.

The progressive anti-Second Amendment cohort decided they would strip away the rights of even those that have a New Mexico concealed carry license. The ramifications of these feel-good policies put the safety of the public who attend hearings, our staff, and my fellow lawmakers in jeopardy. Much was discussed about safety; however, despite staff working on implementing this secretive plan, very few answers were provided even behind closed doors.

Santa Fe Sen. and Majority Leader Peter Wirth bumbled his way through defending his actions in attacking the Second Amendment by accusing unnamed individuals of brandishing firearms at him in the Capitol building at different points throughout his esteemed near two decades in the Roundhouse. Wirth eventually walked his statements back when he was made aware that brandishing a firearm is an arrestable offense and there is no record of that crime within the Roundhouse. Unfortunately, this type of rhetoric is par for the course from progressives salivating at the opportunity to take away our Second Amendment freedom.

Activists hired by New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg testified before another interim committee that they demand passage of their gold standard for firearms storage legislation mandating all gun owners keep their firearms unloaded and locked up at all times. Such a proposal is not only unenforceable, but also defies logic as it renders firearms unusable for self-defense in the middle of a crime epidemic. Our nations capitol had a similar firearm storage law that was struck down in the D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court case. The Heller decision found restricting immediate access to legally owned firearms was unconstitutional.

Now, paid activists are calling for data-driven solutions to stem gun violence and have proposed to add bureaucracy with an Office of Gun Violence at the cost of $20 million. We dont need to waste $20 million of public money to conclude their gun control measures are nothing more than charades that havent made the public any safer. Out-of-touch activists and radical progressives have pushed for restrictions on the Second Amendment and the result has been skyrocketing crime in New Mexico. Such bills as the universal background check law have yielded zero arrests or prosecutions in over two years, and the red flag statute has reportedly been used only four times during the first year it was in effect. Why is this data dismissed? These same activists are calling for expansions of gun laws that produce no results or data, yet so many are dying in our communities due to the failed policies of the progressive bloc of lawmakers.

New Mexicos 30-day legislative session starts Jan. 18. Ostensibly its scheduled to be a budget session, but Bloombergs gun control posse will push to erase your Second Amendment rights, even if it requires a suspension of logic, liberty and results-oriented legislation.

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Progressives have gun rights in their sights in 2022 session - Albuquerque Journal