Revised gun control bills filed for NM 2024 legislative session

Lock Smith

1 year ago / 27 Views

Revised gun control bills have been filed for the 2024 legislative session. New Mexico lawmakers are convening next steps to address public safety in efforts to tackle violent crime. MORE: New Mexico Public Safety to be addressed at 2024 Legislative SessionAnti-crime and gun reform were two of many top priorities debated among lawmakers at the 2023 legislative session. Several gun-control bills were introduced during last year’s session to help curb crime, but died in committee. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told KOAT that public safety will be addressed at the 2024 legislative session when asked what her plans were to address gun violence during a Public Health Order update at the roundhouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Dec. 11, 2023.Related: New Mexico’s Public Safety Agenda for 2024 Legislative SessionDemocrat lawmakers are aiming toward gun-control bills as a preventative measure to reduce violent crime in New Mexico at this year’s session, but most Republicans believe it imposes an attack on their constitutional rights. New Mexico GOP argues gun-control measures will not help with the state’s growing crime. “We’ve been looking really closely at the constitutionality of these gun regulations, and since the 1930s, we’ve been regulating guns. We know what it is that we can do, and we’re being mindful of the fact that it’s a certain type, in the way they’re engineered that makes them so deadly, which is why we don’t want them to be in public circulation in our community,” Democratic Rep. Andrea Romero told KOAT. Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines from KOAT Action 7 News”We’re mindful that we would never try to take away anyone’s constitutional rights, but within reason. We are at an absolute epidemic point of gun violence in our state, and we have to act,” Romero said. Romero sponsors House Bill 129 and House Bill 137. Both bills are aimed toward addressing public safety, gun violence, and violent crime. “House Bill 129 is a 14-day waiting period before getting access to a firearm. The reason why we know that this type of legislation works is because a waiting period for those who might do harm to themselves or others is basically a cooling off period to make a better decision potentially to those who have access,” Romero told KOAT. “Most background checks that come through are immediate. You go and walk into a firearm sales situation, you purchase a firearm on the same day, in the same moment. This can be a critical waiting, period for those to make a better decision,” Romero said. “When we look at the data of mass shootings across the country, many mass shooters have purchased firearms within that 3, 7 and 10-day waiting period, when they made the decision to purchase a firearm, and then commit a mass shooting.””House Bill 137 is a gas-operated semi-automatic firearms regulation bill. The reason why it’s not an assault weapons ban, is because you can keep your weapon. You can keep that, so long as it’s registered. As long as we know you give it your next of kin, or however it is, you want to turn that over, to the next person that will obtain that firearm is registered,” Romero said. “These weapons are so deadly to be in circulation, we no longer want them in circulations. So, if you have one today, you can keep it, but in the future, we do not want these in our communities. They have been used and have been the weapon of choice in mass shootings. Around the state, we have a call to action, to prevent those committing any of those atrocities.”House Republicans denounces gun-control bills”I’m not sure how removing any weapon from the law-abiding citizens will make me safer. It makes me less able to defend my home and family from those people that are now law-abiding citizens. I think we have plenty of gun laws on the book as it is, background checks, we have waiting periods— the problem is, we’re not prosecuting the criminals,” Republican Rep. Jack Chatfield told KOAT.Related: Target 7: The revolving door and New Mexico’s crime crisisPre-trial Detention measures:”Catch or release operation. Many of the murders that have been committed lately were committed by people that have already been arrested and turned out, so let’s focus on criminals, and stopping criminal behavior, not on disarming the law-abiding citizens in state of New Mexico,” Chatfield said. “We’re not willing to get to the root problem, and the root problem is crime. We need to be harder on criminals. Last year, we brought all kinds of criminal bills, and they were all killed,” Republican State Rep. Harlan Vincent told KOAT.”These 18 to 20-year-old kids that are in shooting sports, that have been doing it since they were 14, not only are they going to compete at a state level, but they are actually getting scholarships to go to college. To take that away from them would be criminal,” Harlan said. Gun-control bills (Passed/Tabled) 2023 Legislative Session:House Bill 9 — ‘The Bennie Hargrove Safety Act’ will hold an adult responsible for a minor’s negligent access to a firearm. (Passed)House Bill 306 — HB 306 prohibits the unlawful purchase of firearm for another. (Passed)House Bill 100— HB 100 would have imposed a 14-day waiting period on firearm sales. (Tabled)Senate Bill 44 — SB 44 would have prohibited guns from being brought within 100 feet of a polling place or inside. (Tabled)Senate Bill 116 — SB 116 would have raised the minimum age to buy semi-automatic firearms from age 18 to 21. (Tabled)Senate Bill 171 — SB 171 would have banned the sale of automatic firearms. (Tabled)Stay updated on the latest news updates with the KOAT app. You can download it here.

SANTA FE, N.M. —

Revised gun control bills have been filed for the 2024 legislative session. New Mexico lawmakers are convening next steps to address public safety in efforts to tackle violent crime.

MORE: New Mexico Public Safety to be addressed at 2024 Legislative Session

Anti-crime and gun reform were two of many top priorities debated among lawmakers at the 2023 legislative session. Several gun-control bills were introduced during last year’s session to help curb crime, but died in committee.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told KOAT that public safety will be addressed at the 2024 legislative session when asked what her plans were to address gun violence during a Public Health Order update at the roundhouse in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Dec. 11, 2023.

Democrat lawmakers are aiming toward gun-control bills as a preventative measure to reduce violent crime in New Mexico at this year’s session, but most Republicans believe it imposes an attack on their constitutional rights. New Mexico GOP argues gun-control measures will not help with the state’s growing crime.

“We’ve been looking really closely at the constitutionality of these gun regulations, and since the 1930s, we’ve been regulating guns. We know what it is that we can do, and we’re being mindful of the fact that it’s a certain type, in the way they’re engineered that makes them so deadly, which is why we don’t want them to be in public circulation in our community,” Democratic Rep. Andrea Romero told KOAT.

Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines from KOAT Action 7 News

“We’re mindful that we would never try to take away anyone’s constitutional rights, but within reason. We are at an absolute epidemic point of gun violence in our state, and we have to act,” Romero said.

Romero sponsors House Bill 129 and House Bill 137. Both bills are aimed toward addressing public safety, gun violence, and violent crime.

“House Bill 129 is a 14-day waiting period before getting access to a firearm. The reason why we know that this type of legislation works is because a waiting period for those who might do harm to themselves or others is basically a cooling off period to make a better decision potentially to those who have access,” Romero told KOAT.

“Most background checks that come through are immediate. You go and walk into a firearm sales situation, you purchase a firearm on the same day, in the same moment. This can be a critical waiting, period for those to make a better decision,” Romero said. “When we look at the data of mass shootings across the country, many mass shooters have purchased firearms within that 3, 7 and 10-day waiting period, when they made the decision to purchase a firearm, and then commit a mass shooting.”

“House Bill 137 is a gas-operated semi-automatic firearms regulation bill. The reason why it’s not an assault weapons ban, is because you can keep your weapon. You can keep that, so long as it’s registered. As long as we know you give it your next of kin, or however it is, you want to turn that over, to the next person that will obtain that firearm is registered,” Romero said. “These weapons are so deadly to be in circulation, we no longer want them in circulations. So, if you have one today, you can keep it, but in the future, we do not want these in our communities. They have been used and have been the weapon of choice in mass shootings. Around the state, we have a call to action, to prevent those committing any of those atrocities.”

House Republicans denounces gun-control bills

“I’m not sure how removing any weapon from the law-abiding citizens will make me safer. It makes me less able to defend my home and family from those people that are now law-abiding citizens. I think we have plenty of gun laws on the book as it is, background checks, we have waiting periods— the problem is, we’re not prosecuting the criminals,” Republican Rep. Jack Chatfield told KOAT.

Pre-trial Detention measures:

“Catch or release operation. Many of the murders that have been committed lately were committed by people that have already been arrested and turned out, so let’s focus on criminals, and stopping criminal behavior, not on disarming the law-abiding citizens in state of New Mexico,” Chatfield said.

“We’re not willing to get to the root problem, and the root problem is crime. We need to be harder on criminals. Last year, we brought all kinds of criminal bills, and they were all killed,” Republican State Rep. Harlan Vincent told KOAT.

“These 18 to 20-year-old kids that are in shooting sports, that have been doing it since they were 14, not only are they going to compete at a state level, but they are actually getting scholarships to go to college. To take that away from them would be criminal,” Harlan said.