New Mexico: Gun Ban & Waiting Period Legislation to be Considered in House Committee this Friday!

On Friday, February 17, the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on mandatory waiting period and semiautomatic firearms ban/magazine limit legislation:

* House Bill 100 by Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), expands New Mexico’s so-called “universal background check” law to include a mandatory 14-day waiting period on all firearm purchases. This criminal protection bill would add nothing to the existing FBI background check process and only delay your ability to exercise your Second Amendment right to defend yourself, your family and your property.  

* A committee substitute for House Bill 101, also by Rep. Romero, bans the manufacture, sale, purchase and possession of many semi-automatic firearms and magazines with a capacity of greater than ten rounds of ammunition that law-abiding citizens commonly own for self-defense, competition, and recreation, as well as certain attachments for them; bans handguns with fixed magazines that can hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition and long guns with fixed magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition; bans parts or combinations of parts from which such firearms can be assembled; and bans .50 BMG caliber firearms. Current owners of any of these firearms or items would have to register them with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety prior to March 1, 2024, to maintain possession, or transfer them out of state or to a federal firearm licensed dealer, or face FELONY charges.

Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and urge them to OPPOSE HB 100 & HB 101. Also, make plans to attend this hearing in-person on Friday at 1:30pm, in Room 309 of the State Capitol in Santa Fe, and testify against these restrictive proposals. You may also participate in this hearing via Zoom or phone, but the best way to make sure your voice is heard (as the committee almost always decides to limit testimony) is to be present in the hearing room!  Please click on this link to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81793611432 or use One Tap Mobile to call in: US: +12532050468,,81793611432# or +12532158782,,81793611432#​

Also, this afternoon (Wednesday), Michael Jean from NRA-ILA's Office of Litigation Counsel will serve as a remote presenter on a panel convened by the Senate Judiciary Committee to examine the state of firearms law and litigation in the post-Bruen era. You can watch this committee meeting via Zoom starting at 1:30pm today or 1/2 hour after the Senate adjourns. Click on this link to join the ZOOM WEBINAR: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3616365786​