Note from Sheriff Parker, Roosevelt County:

I would like every single person that cares at all about their constitutional rights to contact the Governor’s Office, as well as their Senators and Representatives, and voice their opposition to these new pieces of legislation.

Governor’s Office: (505)476-2200

Stuart Ingle’s Office: (505)986-4702

Jack Chatfield’s Office: (505) 986-4467

Click Here to look up legislators.

Press Release House GOP

Democrats Again Limit Public Testimony, Including Testimony from New Mexico Sheriffs

SANTA FE – House Democrats on the Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to move forward bills which will strip law abiding New Mexicans of their 2nd Amendment rights on Monday. Before voting to advance the bills, House Democrats limited public testimony by requiring everyone to testify on all the bills at once as opposed to listening to the public on each individual bill. The move allowed for less time to hear from the public but allowed House Democrats to pass the bills more quickly.

“When 85% of the Sheriffs across New Mexico say these bills aren’t good for their counties, I believe them,” said Rep. Jim Townsend (R-Artesia).

Among the bills passed on Monday is House Bill 8 (HB 8.) This bill would impose criminal penalties on law abiding New Mexicans who want to sell or give their firearm to friends or family without a background check.

“We shouldn’t be punishing law abiding gun owners by passing laws we know criminals won’t follow,” said Rep. Bill Rehm (R-Albuquerque). “Even the expert witness for the Democrats, an Albuquerque Police Detective, stated felons who posses firearms either obtain them by theft or purchase stolen firearms from other criminals,” he continued.

Also passed was House Bill 83, which would allow for the confiscation of a legal gun owner’s firearms when someone in the home, even if it isn’t the gun owner, is designated an emergency risk.

Similar to a previous hearing, a large and bipartisan group of New Mexico Sheriffs testified against the bills. The bills now head to the House floor.

The New Mexico Sheriff’s Association responded to the NM House GOP Press Release with a Release of their own, opposing the proposed bills.

Below is the entirety of the release, along with the signees, in support of the Sheriff Association opposition to the bills, which includes Roosevelt County Sheriff, Malin Parker, and Curry County Sheriff, Wesley Waller.

February 5, 2019

The New Mexico Sheriffs Association recognizes that the firearm has a strong heritage in our nation; a legacy where the founding fathers of the republic were patriots with firearms in their hands fighting against tyranny for the freedom and liberty they were denied. Upon their victory, they formed a new government to protect their hard fought achievement. In the framing of this government, they drafted amendments to protect their rights. Thus was born the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. It is an amendment that has often been challenged and interpreted by the highest court of the land and to this day stands as an individual right for each law abiding citizen to keep and bear arms.

Today firearms have an important role in arming law-enforcement and the military for protection of citizens and for preserving our individual rights and freedoms, as well as a role for law-abiding citizens who may freely choose to arm themselves as collectors to hunt, compete in shooting sports, participate in recreational shooting or personal and home defense. Should it become necessary, the citizens will be armed to stand and protect the republic once again as the original framers of the constitution intended.

The Sheriff is elected by the people within a sovereign state and county to protect and serve all people within the county at the time of assuming the Office. The Sheriff swears a solemn oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States as well as the Constitution and laws of the State of New Mexico.

29 out of the 33 New Mexico Sheriffs agree that the rush to react to the violence by proposing controls on guns is ill conceived and is truly a distraction to the real problems proliferating violence in our counties and our state. We oppose Senate Bill 8 as it stands this bill does nothing to protect citizens and is unenforceable. We also oppose House Bill 83 as it violates due process and puts law enforcement in a more dangerous situation and does nothing to protect citizens. This bill could disarm the very people trying to defend their lives and personal property. Furthermore there are already provisions in state law that allow law enforcement to deal with people in crisis. We oppose House Bill 87 as it duplicates a law already deemed enforceable by a court order from a District Judge. We oppose House Bill 130 as there is already provision in state law that allow law enforcement to charge the appropriate crime if a child gains access to a firearm.

The Sheriffs stand to encourage the full and complete enforcement of existing gun regulations and to oppose any executive order or laws that further restrict the rights of law-abiding people to own possess keep and use firearms. As duly elected sheriffs, we are committed to take the lead role in facilitating the discussions in our communities and pledge to collaborate at all levels with those stakeholders to identify and work towards solutions for the complex issue of violence.

For more on the bills Click Here