A sheriff in New Mexico is at loggerheads with the state’s governor over a recent emergency order she signed that bans concealed carry of firearms, even by licensed persons, in Albuquerque and the county surrounding it for thirty days. The sheriff, Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen, said the ban is unconstitutional and he won’t enforce it, to which Gov. Grisham responded with fire and fury.
For reference, Sheriff Allen’s opinion on the public health order is important because his sheriff’s office is the one responsible for the area the order is to take place in, Albuquerque and its surrounding county, which is his county of Bernalillo. So if he refuses to enforce it, the sheriff’s office is off the table to force New Mexicans to follow the new order.
Sheriff Allen announced his plan to not enforce the public health order banning concealed carrying firearms in a press conference, saying, “It’s unconstitutional, so there’s no way we can enforce that order. This ban does nothing to curb gun violence.” Reiterating that point, he added, “This order will not do anything to curb gun violence other than punish law-abiding citizens from their constitutional right of self-defense.”
Sheriff Allen added that the governor knew his office’s stance on the matter ahead of time, saying, “The governor made it clear in her press conference. She knew we as law enforcement did not agree with the order, and as a result, this was solely her decision.”
Continuing, Sheriff Allen said, “We need to look at solutions to address violent crimes involving juveniles with firearms, adults with firearms, pretrial release and harsh penalties for violent crimes which also involve a firearm.”
“The planning will and continue with the mayor of Albuquerque, Tim Keller, chief of New Mexico State Police Troy Whistler, chief of the Albuquerque Police Department Harold Medina, and District Attorney Sam Bregman. I will also be contacting federal entities such as the FBI and the U.S. Attorney to assist us and make sure we work as a team to curb gun violence and so many other crimes that we see in Bernalillo County,” he added.
Watch him here:
Other leaders in the state were horrified by the governor’s order as well. Rep. John Block of Alamogordo, for example, said, “My constituents have reached out to me in droves, emailing and texting me that this is insane, this is horrifying, this is unconstitutional.”
Elon Musk took criticism of the governor a step further, demanding that she be removed from office. He wrote, “At the risk of stating what should be obvious, deliberately violating the Constitution is next-level illegal. How soon can this person be removed from office?”
Even Democrats got involved in responding negatively to Governor Grisham’s order. State Senator Joe Cervantes, for instance, a promoter of gun control laws, said, “Having passed key gun safety laws working with her administration, I call on the Governor to rescind her order outlawing arms. An unconstitutional approach undermines the important collaboration gun issues deserve, and the important role of a Governor to lead genuine reforms.”
Governor Grisham, for her part, has remained dismissive of Sheriff Allen’s comments about the bill’s acceptability and his willingness to enforce it. She said, “I don’t need a lecture on constitutionality from Sheriff Allen: what I need is action. What we need is for leaders to stand up for the victims of violent crime. We need law enforcement, district attorneys, public officials, school leaders and state agencies to use every single tool at their disposal to stop this violence. Period. This is an administration that has treated the gun violence epidemic as the crisis that it is. We’ve passed common-sense gun legislation, including red flag laws, domestic violence protections, a ban on straw purchases, and safe storage laws; dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to a fund specifically to help law enforcement hire and retain officers; increased penalties for violent offenders and provided massive support to intervention programs. We’ve given you the tools, Sheriff Allen— now stop being squeamish about using them. I will not back down from doing what’s right and I will always put the safety of the people of New Mexico first.”
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