Albuquerque City Councilors Dan Lewis, Brook Bassan, Louie Sanchez and Renée Grout proposed resolutions calling for state legislative measures to enhance public safety and behavioral health services and to express the city's support of its citizens' constitutional rights to possess and carry firearms during the upcoming State Legislative Session. The bills, identified as R-23-170 and R-23-171, are scheduled for final deliberation at the city council meeting set for Oct. 2.
The resolution R-23-170, according to a City of Albuquerque press release, strongly advocates for comprehensive state-level legislative action aimed at enhancing public safety and addressing behavioral health challenges. It specifically calls for the governor to convene a special legislative session to allocate resources for combatting addiction, improving mental health services and enhancing addiction treatment accessibility across New Mexico.
"I am heartbroken over the crime in our city," Grout said in the release. "This package of resolutions offers real solutions to the problem and demonstrates the city council's desire to work with the governor and the legislature on these issues."
Moreover, the resolution emphasizes the need for pretrial detention system reform, particularly for those facing serious and violent crime charges, along with sustained funding for the warrant enforcement program and legislation to impose lifetime sentences on repeat offenders involved in firearms-related violent crimes after their third offense.
"State legislative action can play a crucial role in promoting public safety and addressing the challenges of behavioral health,” Bassan said in the release. “At the same time, it is important to affirm and protect the constitutional right of individuals to keep and bear arms. Finding a balance between these two goals is essential to ensuring a safe and secure society. We must be careful not to victimize the law-abiding citizens further by taking away their right to bear arms."