Readers of the Santa Fe New Mexican may have been surprised by a front-page story in yesterday’s edition, announcing a gun violence prevention bill by a Republican state lawmaker. Albuquerque Representative Nate Gentry—who didn’t respond to KSFR’s request for comment—has pre-filed House Bill 91, a measure which seems to require stricter reporting from local to Federal officials about people who aren’t allowed to possess guns in New Mexico, for use in a database of prohibited buyers. But Miranda Viscoli, of New Mexicans To Prevent Gun Violence, sees Representative Gentry’s bill as a watered-down substitute for more substantive legislation Gentry has supported in the past—Bernalillo Democratic Representative Miguel Garcia’s House Bill 51.
Miranda Viscoli is co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. Her organization has launched a petition asking Governor Susana Martinez to support Miguel Garcia’s House Bill 51 to close the gun show loophole. You can access that petition by visiting their Facebook page—just type “New Mexicans To Prevent Gun Violence” in Facebook’s search bar.