Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says the health order put in place to battle gun violence in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County is working and has numbers to prove it.
During a press conference on Monday that included state law enforcement and health officials, Lujan Grishman revealed statistics that show there have been 2,490 arrests made by State, Albuquerque, and Bernalillo police since the order was enacted in September, with 40% being drug related.
She also says 219 guns have been seized during that time.
Lujan Grisham also says she wants to use Sen. Martin Heinrich’s GOSAFE bill as the basis for similar legislation in the state and wants to see it passed during next year’s 30-day session.
The Governor says it’s the kind of gun measure that needs to be approved across the country.
“There is a lack of courage in this country to tackle gun violence, because it’s hard,” she said. “You’ve got Constitutional protections, agree with those and understand them. I’ve said and I’ll say it again, none of these constitutional provisions have been found to be absolute, this one’s the closest and I think it’s really created for far too many policy makers and executives the ability to keep their constituents safe.”
The GOSAFE or The Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion Actis co-sponsored by Senators Mark Kelly of Arizona, Michael Bennett of Colorado and Angus King of Maine.
The bill would regulate firearms based on the lethality of their internal mechanisms, as opposed to focusing on cosmetic features that manufacturers can modify.
It has strong support from gun safety advocates in New Mexico and across the country.
