NM Democrat’s anti-gun bill would make it a crime to teach your child how to shoot

On Monday, S.B. 224 was introduced in the New Mexico Senate, sponsored by far-left state Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Bernalillo), which tries to not only force New Mexicans to follow guidelines on how they can store guns in their own home, it makes it a crime to teach one’s children how to shoot. 

The bill text reads, “It is an offense for a firearm owner or authorized user to store or keep a firearm in any premises unless the firearm is secured in a locked container or secured by a gun lock or other means so as to render the firearm inaccessible or unusable to any person other than the owner or other authorized user.” 

The “storage mandate” in the bill “would make it a crime for a child to handle your firearm unless the child was 12 or older and had previously completed a firearms safety class. You would become a criminal for taking your child to go shooting if they had not previously taken some kind of formal class,” says the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association (NMSSA). 

“The bill is an uneducated attempt to demonize firearms,” says the organization, adding that  “It is already a crime to place a child in a situation that endangers their life, this law does nothing to add to a child’s safety.”

The bill text reads, “If a firearm owner or authorized user knows or reasonably should have known that a minor, an at-risk person or a prohibited person could gain access to a firearm belonging to or under the control of that owner or authorized person, and if a minor, an at-risk person or a prohibited person obtained access to that firearm, it is an offense if the firearm owner or authorized user failed to secure the firearm in a locked container or by a lock or other means so as to render such firearm inaccessible or unusable to any person other than the firearm owner or other authorized user.” 

NMSSA also notes that, “The law is completely unenforceable unless they plan on going door-to-door inspecting firearm storage in your home. But this bill again goes beyond what they have attempted in the past. If a prohibited possessor gains access to your firearm you are liable as well.” 

“Albuquerque is the property crime capital of America; if your home or vehicle was broken into and a convicted felon stole your firearm, you could be charged with a crime under the bill. Instead of taking on the issue of the crime wave that has engulfed Albuquerque and other parts of the state, Sedillo Lopez wants to blame you, someone just seeking to defend yourself, if your firearm is stolen.” 

The bill will be heard in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee, where it will be considered in the coming days. Below are the names of members of the Committee to contact them regarding this legislation: 

Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino – (D)  (505) 397-8839 jortizyp@msn.com

Sen. Bill Tallman – (D) (505) 397-8854 bill.tallman@nmlegis.gov

Sen. Gregg Schmedes – (R) (505) 986-4395gregg.schmedes@nmlegis.gov

Sen. David M. Gallegos – (R) (505) 986-4278 david.rsi@hotmail.com

Sen. Stuart Ingle – (R)  (505) 986-4702 stuart.ingle@nmlegis.gov

Sen. Brenda G. McKenna – (D)  (505) 397-8834 brenda.mckenna@nmlegis.gov

Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez – (D) (505) 397-8847 a.sedillolopez@nmlegis.gov

Sen. Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics – (D) (505) 397-8851 lstefanics@msn.com 

Sen. Sedillo Lopez is a first-term New Mexico senator appointed to her position after an unsuccessful run for Congress against Deb Haaland in 2018. Now, Sedillo Lopez is vying for the First Congressional District seat once again, and this legislation is likely something she is trying to use to court anti-gun donors and support groups, such as Mike Bloomberg’s “Everytown.” Everytown endorsed Haaland in her runs for Congress, along with multiple other rabid anti-gun groups.

Sedillo Lopez’s bill is just the latest in a slew of anti-gun proposals, such as one to criminalize multiple firearms and components and another that seeks to harshen New Mexico’s already stringent “red flag” law.