The Lawsuits Against New Mexico Gov. Grisham Have Begun

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared gun violence and drug abuse a public health emergency after several recent deadly shootings.

New Mexico Gov. Grisham proclaimed gun violence and drug abuse a public health emergency last Thursday and suspended the Second Amendment rights of anyone living in or entering Albuquerque.

Under the guidelines of the order, carrying a firearm will be illegal for the next 30 days. You can read more about Gov. Grisham’s comments regarding her oath of office and what she has said about the U.S. Constitution here. As far as she’s concerned, she can change her mind about what they mean and interrupt them however she wants.

Gov. Grisham said in her news conference, “No constitutional right, in my view, including my oath, is intended to be absolute. I can invoke additional powers.”

Who does Gov. Grisham’s emergency order affect?

No one can open or conceal carry a firearm EXCEPT law enforcement or licensed security officers. According to the Public Health Emergency Order, even with a New Mexico Concealed Carry License (CCL), you may not carry a firearm except in limited circumstances, like to and from a shooting range.

What does her Emergency Order say?

“Public Health Emergency Order Imposing Temporary Firearm Restrictions, Drug Monitoring, and Other Public Safety Measures” is the title of the document released by Gov. Grisham. You can download it here. The following are some highlights:

Her justification for the order is that “gun violence and drug abuse currently constitute statewide public health emergencies as defined in the Public Health Emergency Response Act.”

Because of the way it is worded, it currently only impacts Albuquerque. The order affects cities or counties averaging 1,000 or more violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year since 2021 AND more than 90 firearm-related emergency department visits per 100,000 residents from July 2022 to June 2023.

A section also says, “The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department shall conduct monthly inspections of licensed firearms dealers in the state to ensure compliance with all sales and storage laws.”

Who has filed lawsuits against Gov Grisham?

The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) has filed suit against Gov. Grisham and the Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health, Patrick M. Allen. The GOA calls the lawsuit a “blatantly unconstitutional prohibition on law-abiding adults.” They cite both McDonald v. City of Chicago and Bruen.

The lawsuit filed by Gun Owners of America (GOA) said Gov. Grisham has “ordered the New Mexico State Police to act as a private army of stormtroopers.”

“Local authorities have publicly announced that they are unwilling to enforce this clearly unconstitutional edict, and have staunchly refused to participate in Defendants’ scheme to deprive their constituents of their constitutional rights, Defendants have ordered the New Mexico State Police to act as a private army of stormtroopers to be sent en masse to enforce Defendants’ open and notorious subversion of constitutional rights.”

In a second lawsuit filed Saturday, GOA compared the order to martial law.

“New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Department of Health Secretary Patrick M. Allen (“Defendants”) have asserted the unilateral power to suspend constitutional rights and impose what is essentially martial law.”

“In a shocking move, Governor Lujan Grisham is suspending Second Amendment rights by administrative fiat, ignoring the U.S. Constitution and the New Mexico Constitution,” NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch told Fox News Digital.

Gov. Grisham was nice enough to say, “Trigger locks shall be made available free of charge to all firearm owners; provided that each firearm owner shall only be entitled to one free trigger lock.”

It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out. Remember, if you have a concealed carry license and are traveling to Albuquerque, this order will include you.