A statewide lobby is speaking out against several bills that have been submitted to the New Mexico Congress, including one it claims could make gun owners felons overnight.
Zac Fort, legislative affairs officer for the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, said there are "a lot of really bad bills" dealing with guns and gun ownership in Congress right now, including one that would require owners of semiautomatic rifles to register it with the state. HB 101 is one of eight bills that Better Together New Mexico (BTNM) is trying to change.
According to a post on BTNM's website, HB 101 would ban the sale of semiautomatic rifles in the state. If it becomes law, current owners would have to register any semiautomatic rifles with the state and could only possess them on private property. The bill would also ban the sale of certain .50 caliber rifles and ammunition.
"There are a lot of bad bills in the legislature this year, but HB 101 might be the worst," Fort said. "HB 101 has been through several different iterations so far," adding that sponsors Andrea Romero and Linda Serrato, two Democrats, keep making changes to the bill.
Fort said in the bill's current form, "anyone who didn't put their guns into the state registry would become a felon overnight."
Other bills include SB 428, which singles out the firearms industry; SB 427, which would establish a 14-day waiting period before completing a firearm sale; HB 9, which would make the owner of a firearm criminally charged if a minor uses their firearm; HB 100, which would modify the existing New Mexico “Universal Background Check” law to add a 14-day waiting period; HB 72 would ban certain firearm accessories; HB 238, which does not provide an exception for self-defense; and SB 171 would ban the manufacture, sale, possession or transfer of most AR and AK-based pistols, coated or segmented bullets, and National Firearms Act (NFA) items, BTNM said.
The organization is attempting to organize opposition to the bills. Fort said HB 100 is another measure that needs to be checked.
"This means that when you buy a gun and pass a background check, you would have to wait 14 days before you could take the gun home with you," he said. "It would be the longest waiting period in the country. Someone who needed a gun in an emergency situation would not be able to exercise their right to do so if it passes."
According to its website, BTNM is a statewide, grassroots alliance "creating important change" in the state.
“We have to work together to protect our children and our state,” BTNM said in an email alert.
Fort added that advocates can fight unjust gun by opposing those bills in Congress.
"The best thing people can do if they are worried about their Second Amendment rights is to contact their state legislators right away and tell them to oppose any and all bills that would infringe on their right to keep and bear arms," he said.