Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Tenth Circuit Holds New Mexico’s 7-Day Waiting Period Unconstitutional in NRA Case

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Tenth Circuit Holds New Mexico’s 7-Day Waiting Period Unconstitutional in NRA Case

Today, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals held New Mexico’s seven-day waiting period for firearm purchases unconstitutional in Ortega v. Grisham, a case brought by the National Rifle Association and Mountain States Legal Foundation, with the support of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

“In courtrooms across America, the NRA is successfully leading the charge to protect law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment rights,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director, John Commerford. “The 10th Circuit has sided with the NRA and held that radical waiting period laws are indeed unconstitutional. This decision not only impacts gun owners in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, and Oklahoma, but serves as a key piece in dismantling similar gun control laws across the country.” 

New Mexico’s law requires purchasers of firearms to “cool off” for seven days before taking possession of a newly purchased firearm—even after passing a background check and demonstrating that they are not prohibited from owning firearms.

The Tenth Circuit held that New Mexico’s law violates the Second Amendment. Judge Tymkovich, writing for the court, determined that the right to keep and bear arms necessarily includes the lawful acquisition of firearms and, therefore, “cooling off” waiting periods infringe on Second Amendment-protected conduct. Next, the court concluded that waiting periods are a modern invention that are unsupported by our nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

New Mexico’s proffered historical analogues—intoxication laws, licensing regimes, and restrictions that applied only to certain targeted groups—were found insufficient to justify New Mexico’s waiting period law. First, the historical intoxication laws were deemed improper analogues because they prevented the possession of a firearm only during the period of intoxication, not for an arbitrary time period even after the individual sobered up. Second, New Mexico’s law is unlike licensing regimes, the court noted, because New Mexico’s law assumes everyone is dangerous until they have waited an arbitrary amount of “cooling off” time. Finally, the court determined that New Mexico’s law is distinguishable from the restrictions on targeted groups because—in addition to the dubious discriminatory biases underlying those bans—New Mexico’s law is not targeted at all; it applies indiscriminately to the entire populace.

The case will now return to the District Court for the District of New Mexico for the entry of a preliminary injunction.

Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on NRA-ILA’s ongoing efforts to defend your constitutional rights.

TRENDING NOW
Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

News  

Monday, September 29, 2025

Canada’s Public Safety Minister on Gun Ban & Confiscation: “Don’t Ask Me to Explain the Logic”

There have been multiple developments on the Canadian gun grab and ban in the last few days, but the most astounding has got to be a leaked bombshell recording of the Liberal Public Safety Minister, ...

Gun Controllers Rage at Everytown Over “Firearms Training,” Demand “Abstinence”

News  

Monday, September 29, 2025

Gun Controllers Rage at Everytown Over “Firearms Training,” Demand “Abstinence”

A revealing article in USA Today last week reported that Everytown for Gun Safety’s new “firearms training” program, Train SMART, “met stiff opposition from [Everytown’s] own members and longtime supporters.” 

The Polling Mirage on Gun Policy

News  

Monday, September 29, 2025

The Polling Mirage on Gun Policy

The recent release of yet another “gun policy survey” underscores the necessity of not taking gun-related “polls,” “research,” and “studies” at face value.

Canada’s Gun Grab: Amnesty Expiration Approaches as Top Officials Sow Confusion

News  

Monday, September 22, 2025

Canada’s Gun Grab: Amnesty Expiration Approaches as Top Officials Sow Confusion

Canada’s Liberal government has consistently and misleadingly used “buyback” to describe the 2020 mandatory “assault weapon” confiscation law, in an attempt to make the scheme appear less hostile to property rights and Canada’s responsible gun ...

California Loves Gun Control, Loathes Crime Control

News  

Monday, September 29, 2025

California Loves Gun Control, Loathes Crime Control

California is always adding to its mountain of gun control laws aimed at disarming law-abiding citizens.

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Challenge to California’s Switchblade Ban

Friday, September 26, 2025

NRA Files Amicus Brief in Challenge to California’s Switchblade Ban

Today, the National Rifle Association and National Shooting Sports Foundation filed an amicus brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals supporting a challenge to California’s switchblade ban.

What Will Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris Do Regarding Glocks?

News  

Monday, September 22, 2025

What Will Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris Do Regarding Glocks?

The California State Legislature has adjourned for the year and, unsurprisingly, sent a number of anti-gun bills to Governor Gavin Newsom (D) to consider. 

Pennsylvania: House Democrats Advance Gun Control Bills in Committee

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Pennsylvania: House Democrats Advance Gun Control Bills in Committee

On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee narrowly passed all four gun-control bills on a 14 to 12, straight party line vote. 

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

North Carolina: Update on Permitless Carry

Last week the North Carolina General Assembly briefly returned from recess and re-referred Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to the House Rules Committee.

Pennsylvania: Another Gun Bill Fails on House Floor

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Pennsylvania: Another Gun Bill Fails on House Floor

On Tuesday, another anti-gun bill was defeated on the House floor, failing to receive approval by a 101-102 vote.    

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.