House Bill 137, the Governor's Gun Ban & Magazine Limit Bill, was filed late yesterday by radical progressive State Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe). This extremist legislation, patterned after New Mexico U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich's failed GOSAFE Act, is aptly entitled the "Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearms Exclusion Act." This measure would outlaw nearly all semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, as well as a number of handguns that law-abiding citizens commonly own for self-defense, competition, and recreation.
Specifically, HB 137 bans the manufacture, sale, and transfer of gas-operated firearms with detachable magazines; magazines that are capable of holding more than 10 rounds; 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 attempts to supersede federal law by banning certain NFA items outright.
Current owners of any of these firearms will have to register them with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety prior to January 1, 2025, to maintain possession, or transfer them out of state or to a federal firearm licensed dealer, or face criminal charges. The future transfer of these guns would be limited to immediate family, or to an FFL or someone out of state.
NRA-ILA will notify you as to when this drastic legislation is scheduled for a public hearing. Meanwhile, it is critical that you contact your State Representative and tell them you OPPOSE House Bill 137, the Governor's Gun & Magazine Ban Bill!