More than 40 crime bills were introduced during New Mexico’s 60-day legislative session to address rising crime in the state.
Only 10 were passed, with Republican-sponsored bills among most of those that were blocked.
“That was a drop-the-mic moment as some legislators and others digested the upside-down logic of defending a criminal’s need to be armed,” Larry Sonntag, an Air Force veteran and Albuquerque Police Department retiree who was watching via the live-streaming platform, wrote in an New Mexico Sun opinion column.
Instead of focusing on crime rates in New Mexico and addressing “catch and release” outcomes, Democrats focused on gun-control legislation that called for more penalties for parents who allow guns to fall into the hands of children. In her State of the State address, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) also called for a ban on the sale of assault weapons without defining which weapons would be included, and legislation that would allow victims of gun violence to bring civil lawsuits against gun manufacturers, according to AP News.
One of the bills many Republicans were pushing for, House Bill 59, would have enhanced penalties for those convicted of using a gun during a drug transaction.
"Whoever commits unlawful carrying of a firearm while trafficking a controlled substance is guilty of a third-degree felony," the bill stated.
Sonntag, a small business owner, was among those who testified in support of HB 59.
"New Mexicans are begging for some relief from out-of-control violent crimes, and HB 59 is a step in the right direction,” he said in his testimony to committee members, which was limited to one minute. “It will serve as a deterrent for criminals and will help to hold them accountable. I urge this committee to vote yes and advance this legislation."
Among the opposing testimonies was Kim Chavez Cook, a public defender, who said that the bill should not be blocked because those dealing with illegal drugs must be armed because what they do is dangerous.
“I think we all know that the presence of a firearm is often quote-unquote necessary for these folks in these situations to protect themselves because it is an inherently dangerous environment to be involved in a drug transaction,” she said, according to the New Mexico Sun.
After Cook’s testimony, the hearing then went to legislative committee member debate, where committee chair Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Las Cruces) was joined by other representatives -- Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces), Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe) and Liz Thomson (D-Albuquerque) -- who were supportive of Cook and others who testified to oppose the bill.
Only the Republicans on the committee, Reps. John Block (R-Otero) and Stefani Lord (R-Los Alamos), spoke about the need to pass this bill and other legislation to address the state’s increasing crime issues. HB 59, which would have made it a third-degree felony to use a gun during a drug transaction, was killed on a party-line vote of 4-2.
"You know, our state has fallen down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole when the Legislature sides with thieves over consumers, drug dealers over drug victims, and armed felons and career criminals over crime victims,” the Albuquerque Journal said in an editorial.
Having served as a nuclear weapons security specialist in the U.S. Air Force and as a captain for the Albuquerque Police Department, Sonntag said he was sworn to protect people and hold those who would harm innocent people accountable.
“My service had nothing to do with a political agenda or party affiliation,” he told the New Mexico Sun. “Placing the rights of innocent victims over criminals, especially repeat violent crime offenders, should not be a partisan issue, but it is. The votes to kill legislation that would target gun-toting repeat offenders speaks for itself, and the above detail on HB 59 is just one of the many examples. I hope New Mexicans understand what is truly happening in our state and will hold 'progressive' lawmakers accountable at election time.”