Michelle Lujan Grisham Guns: A U.S. judge has placed a temporary hold on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s gun ban in New Mexico. The ban, which affected the carrying of guns in the state’s largest city, Albuquerque, and its surrounding county, had stirred the national debate on gun rights in the United States.
U.S. District Court Judge David Urias, appointed by President Joe Biden, asserted that the governor’s 30-day suspension of concealed and open firearm carry rights was at odds with a significant U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the right of individuals to carry guns for self-defense outside their homes. Urias remarked that the plaintiffs seeking a temporary restraining order were primarily interested in preserving their right to carry firearms.
Governor Lujan Grisham had issued the suspension of firearm carry laws as a means to institute a “cooling-off period” aimed at addressing the state’s high rates of gun-related crime, particularly in the wake of several recent tragic incidents involving children.
Following Urias’ decision, the governor expressed satisfaction with the renewed focus on tackling gun violence, asserting that more attention had been paid to this issue in the past few days than in the past few years.
However, the governor’s order had drawn sharp criticism from gun rights advocates, fellow Democrats, and law enforcement officials, who deemed it unconstitutional.
Dudley Brown, president of a Colorado-based gun rights organization that had sued the governor, celebrated the temporary halt to “Governor Grisham’s tyranny.”
On the other side of the debate, proponents of gun control commended Lujan Grisham’s “courage.” Santa Fe’s Catholic Archbishop expressed concern that more importance was placed on gun rights than on the life of an 11-year-old boy who was killed in an apparent road rage incident in Albuquerque.
In response to the gun ban, both Albuquerque’s mayor and Bernalillo County’s sheriff called for a special session of the state’s legislature to address the issue of gun-related crime. Mayor Tim Keller emphasized the need for legislation to reform the criminal justice system, regulate assault weapons, and provide addiction and mental health services, among other measures.
New Mexico sees around 500 gun-related deaths annually, ranking sixth among U.S. states in gun deaths per capita, as reported by the gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety. Additionally, based on FBI violent crime data, Albuquerque ranks among the top 10 most dangerous cities in the United States.
