On September 9, the Albuquerque City Council voted down a measure by 5-4 to urge the New Mexico legislature to strip the “firearms pre-emption clause” from Article II, Section 6 of the state Constitution. The measure would ask for the revision to the article of the Constitution to be put on the ballot for voters’ approval.
Despite the tiny win for the Second Amendment on September 9, on Monday the Council is set to hear another slew of bills aimed at limiting Albuquerque residents’ gun rights.
These two measures, O-19-82 and O-19-83, aim to severely limit gun protections for citizens, with 19-82 sponsored by City Councilor Pat Davis proposing mandates on how gun owners can store their firearms, with locked storage mandates, and 19-83 sponsored by Councilors Pat Davis, Isaac Benton, and Diane Gibson banning all firearms from buildings owned or leased by the City of Albuquerque.
Analysis of these two measures by the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action is as follows:
Ordinance O-19-82 mandates locked storage requirements for any firearms outside your immediate possession or control, with fines and/or jail time for violations. Requiring all firearms out of arm’s reach to be stored with a lock or in a locked container will render them useless in self-defense situations and most recreational or competitive shooting scenarios. New Mexico already has a child abuse/endangerment statute that gives law enforcement and district attorneys the tools to charge and prosecute parents or guardians in appropriate cases when their child gains unauthorized access to a firearm and commits a crime or injures himself or another. This ordinance is expected to be considered at the Council’s meeting on Monday, September 21, at 3:00 pm.
Ordinance O-19-83 bans firearms at any building owned or leased by the city for conducting business with the public, including city hall, city libraries, city community centers, city parks and recreation facilities. This would negate your right to carry and protect yourself in these taxpayer-owned buildings and facilities and nullify your state-issued concealed handgun license in countless locations. Criminals would ignore these newly-created gun-free zones that leave law-abiding citizens defenseless. This measure is expected to be considered at the Council’s meeting on Monday, September 21, at 3:00 pm.
To contact the members of the Albuquerque City Council to oppose these measures, you can do so through NRA-ILA’s portal, or by contacting them through their information below:
District 1: Councilor Sena – lansena@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3183
District 2: Councilor Benton – ibenton@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3186
District 3: Councilor Pena – kpena@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3127
District 4: Councilor Bassan – bbassan@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3101
District 5: Councilor Borrego – cynthiaborrego@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3189
District 6: Councilor Davis – patdavis@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3152
District 7: Councilor Gibson – dgibson@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3136
District 8: Councilor Jones – trudyjones@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3106
District 9: Councilor Harris – dharris@cabq.gov | (505) 768-3123
The bills will be brought forth during the 3:00 p.m. MDT meeeting on Monday, September 21, 2020. Sign up for live public comment here or watch live here.