Even before the 2026 New Mexico Legislative Session officially begins, far-left lawmakers have moved to prefile what gun-rights advocates are calling the most sweeping anti-firearms proposal in state history.
According to a press release issued this week by the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, an omnibus gun control measure has been prefiled in the Senate, sponsored by Democrat Sen. Bill O’Malley, Sen. Peter Wirth, Sen. Heather Berghmans, and Rep. Andrea Romero. While the legislation has not yet been assigned a bill number, its contents are already drawing sharp backlash from Second Amendment supporters across the state.
Zac Fort, legislative director for NMSSA, warned that the proposal represents a dramatic escalation in gun control efforts by Democrats who already hold commanding majorities in both chambers of the Legislature.
“This bill isn’t about public safety,” Fort said in the organization’s statement. “It’s about control — and about restricting lawful gun ownership for everyday New Mexicans.”
The prefiled legislation would enact a broad slate of new prohibitions and mandates, many of which gun-rights advocates say mirror policies pushed by national gun-control organizations rather than reflecting New Mexico’s rural, hunting-oriented culture.
Among the most controversial provisions, the bill would ban the sale of semi-automatic rifles — a category that includes many of the most commonly owned firearms in the country. It would also prohibit the sale of magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, further restricting equipment that is currently legal under both state and federal law.
The bill goes even further by banning the sale of .50 caliber ammunition, a move critics argue is symbolic rather than practical, given how rarely such ammunition is used in crimes. Gun-rights advocates say the provision underscores the ideological nature of the legislation rather than any data-driven approach to crime reduction.
In addition to outright bans, the proposal would create a state-level database of firearm transactions conducted through federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs), raising significant privacy and constitutional concerns. The bill would also impose extensive new state regulations on FFLs, layering additional requirements on businesses that already operate under strict federal oversight.
One particularly contentious provision would require FFLs to immediately report to the state whenever an individual purchases more than one firearm within a five-day period — effectively expanding gun-owner monitoring and creating what critics describe as a backdoor registry.
Fort cautioned that the legislation appears designed to overwhelm opposition by bundling numerous restrictions into a single omnibus bill, making it more difficult for lawmakers or the public to debate individual provisions on their merits.
“This is the most aggressive approach we’ve seen yet,” Fort said. “It’s designed to move as much gun control as possible, as fast as possible.”
NMSSA is urging New Mexicans to engage directly with legislators once the bill is formally introduced. Rather than relying on pre-written form emails, the organization recommends that constituents write personalized messages, noting that mass emails are increasingly filtered out or ignored.
As Democrats continue to advance gun control proposals year after year, critics argue the question facing the 2026 session is no longer whether lawmakers will pursue new firearm restrictions — but how far they are willing to go, and how much of New Mexicans’ constitutional rights they are prepared to sacrifice in the process.