Santa Fe, NM - In a flagrant disregard for the Second Amendment and the rule of law, the Senate Judiciary Committee today forced passage of Senate Bill 17 ("Stop Illegal Gun Trade Act"). This extreme measure now heads to the Senate Floor, setting the stage for a costly and inevitable legal battle that taxpayers will ultimately fund.
Senator Crystal Brantley (R-Elephant Butte), the committee's Ranking Member, led the opposition, dismantling the bill's premise that targeting the rights of law-abiding citizens and small business owners will somehow deter violent crime.
"SB 17 is not public safety legislation. It shows a total disregard for our Constitution and our small businesses," said Senator Brantley. "New Mexicans are sick of seeing their rights trampled by a government that consistently fails to keep actual criminals behind bars. This bill does nothing but close down family-owned shops and turns law-abiding citizens into criminals overnight. Let me be clear: If more restrictions on lawful purchases reduced crime, New Mexico would already be the safest state in the country."
Republicans argued that the bill penalizes responsible gun owners and local businesses while ignoring the root causes of violence. Critics also pointed to the inevitable legal challenges the state will face if the measure is enacted—a concern previously voiced even by Democrat members of the Judiciary Committee.
During an interim hearing on gun restriction bills, Senator Antoinette Sedillo Lopez commented on the legislature's track record on such measures. Senator Sedillo Lopez said: "...we always introduce these unconstitutional bills... we get these bills and they're so obviously unconstitutional."
Sedillo Lopez is a retired law professor who taught at the UNM law school for more than 27 years.
