Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the end of an emergency public health order that had suspended the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in New Mexico's largest metro area. The original public health order, implemented in September 2023, sparked public protests, calls for impeachment from Republicans, and divisions among top Democratic officials.
The order aimed to strengthen oversight of firearms sales and monitor illicit drug use at public schools through wastewater testing. However, it expired on Saturday without renewal. Governor Lujan Grisham stated, 'I have decided to allow the public health order to expire, but our commitment to protecting New Mexico communities from the dangers posed by guns and illegal drugs will persist.'
The governor highlighted efforts to reduce gun violence, including gun buy-back programs, increased arrests, distribution of free gun-storage locks, and a larger inmate population at a county detention facility in Albuquerque.
The initial order would have suspended gun-carry rights in most public places in the Albuquerque area but was revised to apply only to public parks and playgrounds, with an exception for access to a municipal shooting range park. This decision came in response to a series of shootings across the state that resulted in the deaths of children.
Gun rights advocates filed lawsuits and court motions to block the restrictions, arguing that they infringed on 2nd Amendment rights to carry guns in public for self-defense. The implications for pending lawsuits in federal court remain uncertain.
This standoff reflects broader tensions following a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision expanding gun rights, as leaders in politically liberal-leaning states explore new avenues for gun restrictions. The restrictions were linked to a statistical threshold for violent crime that specifically applied to Albuquerque and its surrounding area.
