- New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared gun violence a public health emergency.
- Grisham said she was inspired to act after a rise in gun violence against kids.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued an emergency order on Thursday suspending the right to carry guns in public in the city of Albuquerque and surrounding county for the next 30 days after a spate of recent gun violence against kids.
Grisham, a Democrat, said she was declaring gun violence a public health emergency in a post on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
Today, I signed an executive order declaring gun violence a public health emergency. To my fellow citizens: get loud. Step up. Demand change: from your neighbors, from your friends, from your communities, from your elected leaders. Enough is enough. More coming from me tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/jOt4fv4YDC
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) September 7, 2023
According to Grisham, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in New Mexico. Since July 28, gun violence in the state has led to the deaths of a 13-year-old girl, a 5-year-old girl, and a 10-year-old boy.
Grisham also said in the order that New Mexico has had a rise in mass shootings, pointing to a shooting at a motorcycle rally in Red River that left three people dead in May and another May shooting in a Farmington neighborhood that left four people dead.
"The impact of gun violence extends beyond physical injuries and fatalities — causing emotional trauma, economic burdens, and long-lasting consequences for those affected individuals and their families," Grisham wrote.
Grisham says she expects legal challenges to the order, according to the Associated Press.
New Mexico is an "open carry" state, which means it is legal to carry a gun in public as long as it is not concealed. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety offers concealed carry permits.
In June 2022, the Supreme Court struck down a New York law that required people to show a "proper cause" or reason to carry a gun in order to get a license to carry a firearm in public.
The landmark decision dramatically expanded gun rights for the first time since 2008, when the court decided that individuals have the right to own a gun for personal use in the home, rejecting the century-old interpretation of the Second Amendment as a collective right to "bear arms" for a "well-regulated militia."