A sweeping gun control proposal that critics say represents one of the most extreme assaults on the Second Amendment in New Mexico history is now headed to the Senate floor.
Senate Bill 17, which would ban the sale of a broad range of semi-automatic firearms and impose heavy new mandates on federally licensed gun dealers, advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday night on a 6–3 party-line vote. An effort to strip out the bill’s semi-automatic firearm and standard-capacity magazine bans failed on a 4–5 vote, clearing the way for the legislation to move forward in largely intact form.
Under SB 17, the sale of commonly owned rifles such as AR-15s and AK-style firearms would be prohibited, despite their widespread lawful use for self-defense, sporting, and training purposes. The bill also introduces a new regulatory regime for gun dealers that includes employee age and background check requirements, detailed inventory and sales tracking mandates, and expanded security obligations—violations of which could result in criminal penalties.
Supporters framed the bill as a public safety measure. Rep. Andrea Romero, a Democrat from Santa Fe and a co-sponsor of the legislation, claimed the proposal merely asks firearms retailers to act responsibly.
“This bill will simply ask gun dealers to do what responsible business owners already do: secure their inventory, train their employees, track their sales and stop selling military-grade weapons designed for mass casualties,” Romero said.
Gun rights advocates and Republicans strongly disagreed, warning that the bill tramples constitutional protections and targets law-abiding citizens rather than criminals.
“We’ve seen a history in New Mexico passing some unconstitutional laws sent back to the state. And I predict this is going to be much like that. I’m not a lawyer, but I can read,” said Crystal Brantley, R-Elephant Butte.
Even some Democratic lawmakers acknowledged the bill’s legal vulnerability. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque, conceded the firearm ban portion could be struck down in court, but said she would still vote for it as a “very important policy.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, echoed concerns he previously raised about the constitutionality of banning specific firearms. Nevertheless, he voted in favor of the bill, citing support for the dealer regulation provisions.
Opposition testimony came from gun owners, Second Amendment advocacy groups, and elected law enforcement officials, including the sheriffs of Roosevelt and Guadalupe counties. National Shooting Sports Foundation warned the proposal would make exercising constitutional rights in New Mexico “impossible for citizens to achieve.”
The National Rifle Association also opposed the bill, alongside numerous small business owners who said the measure would drive gun dealers out of the state.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Justice raised red flags in a memo to lawmakers, warning that SB 17 is likely to trigger litigation if enacted. Attorneys noted that a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision places the burden squarely on the government to prove that gun restrictions are consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.
The memo further cautioned that SB 17’s definition of “gas-operated firearm” may be far broader than supporters claim, potentially sweeping in commonly owned handguns used for self-defense, including models from Smith & Wesson, Walther, and Desert Eagle.
In response, New Mexico House Republicans sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice requesting a formal opinion on SB 17’s constitutionality, citing comments from Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon questioning similar weapon bans in other states.
The New Mexico Shooting Sports Association summarized the committee action bluntly, noting that SB 17 advanced on a 6–3 vote and that efforts to remove the semi-automatic firearm and magazine bans were defeated. The group warned the bill now poses a direct threat to the civil rights of lawful gun owners statewide.
As Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, put it, SB 17 is “if not one of the most contentious, the most contentious bill” of the session—a sign that the coming Senate floor debate will be as legally fraught as it is politically explosive.
Although this will be defeated in Court, you can’t trust ANY DEM to do the right thing. Even the one’s that had doubts, voted in favor so that tells you they ONLY Care about Party and not the People or our RIGHTS!!!
The socialists/communist Democrats (democraps) will do anything to get total control. And they do not care if they violate the Constitution of the United States. I pray this does not go through. But the good things is that President Trump will veto it for sure….
Trump doesn’t get a vote on this. He can’t veto this. This bill will now have to be fought in the Supreme Court, by attorneys that the gun lobby will have to hire, to defeat an already illegal bill.
And it’s such a waste of taxpayer/voter money and such a waste of the legislators time/energy when there is so much else that they could do instead.