Democrats in "The Land of Enchantment" are moving forward with a package of new laws to prohibit many common semi-auto firearms, along with other restrictions.
New Mexico SB 17, named the "Stop Illegal Gun Trade Act," is an omnibus gun ban. It passed the Democrat-controlled state Senate on Feb. 7 in a 21-17 vote along rough party lines. It now moves over to the House – which is controlled 44-26 by the Dems – for further consideration.
Among its tenets is a ban on the sale of “Extremely Dangerous Weapons,” including .50-caliber rifles and their ammunition, machine guns, magazines that can hold more than 10 cartridges, and gas-operated firearms that can accept detachable mags or have a fixed magazine with a capacity of over 10 rounds.
The definition of "gas-operated firearm" included in the text of the bill would include any semi-automatic firearm that "harnesses or traps a portion of the high-pressure gas from a fired cartridge to cycle the action," using long-stroke pistons (such as AKs and M1As), short-stroke pistons (AR-18s, CZ Brens, FN FAL, FN SCAR, HK416, M1 Carbine, Mini-14/30), an impingement system (ARs), a blowback action (.380s and most AR-9s), or a hybrid system.
In other words, just about every auto-loading firearm on the market, save for long- and short-recoil actions such as the Browning Auto-5 shotgun (long recoil) or locked breech short-recoil pistols such as the M1911, Browning Hi-Power, Glock, etc. However, even those would be limited to 10-round magazines.
Sale of such "Extremely Dangerous Weapons" would be subject to a misdemeanor with a civil penalty of up to $1,000.
“Senate Bill 17 is an attack on the Second Amendment and on the law-abiding New Mexicans who follow the rules. This bill punishes responsible citizens and small business owners while doing nothing to stop criminals who ignore the law," said House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong.
Other facets of the bill establish a laundry list of security mandates for licensed gun dealers in the state and minimum employee standards, including yet-to-be-developed mandatory initial and annual training. There would also be a series of mandatory reporting and recordkeeping requirements on dealers, providing information to the state as required.
The state Department of Public Safety Agency Analysis – SB 17 estimatesAgency Analysis – SB 17 (PDF) that enforcing the bill would cost over $1.5 million per year.
"SB 17 puts local gun dealers in the crosshairs and risks driving them out of business. These are family-owned small businesses that serve their communities responsibly. Democrats are willing to sacrifice them to push a political agenda," said House Republican Whip Alan Martinez.
Several pro-2A groups, including the NRA, the Sportsmen's Alliance, and the National Association of Gun Rights.
Success of SB 17 in the state House would put it on the desk of Everytown-backed Gov. Lujan Grisham, who has usually supported such bans, including in Congress when she represented the state in the 2010s.
