Southwest
NRA prepares for battles against blue state governor ‘torching the Constitution’ with gun control
New Mexico is kicking off its 2024 legislative term with a number of gun control bills that the NRA is already teeing up to battle from “the front lines,” Fox News Digital has learned.
“Extremist Governor Lujan Grisham and her allies have unleashed a barrage of gun control proposals that punish the lawful … while ignoring criminals. Last year, Lujan Grisham effectively suspended the Second Amendment by denying citizens their right to carry and self-defense,” NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Executive Director Randy Kozuch told Fox News Digital.
“Now, she’s doubling down on her attacks, effectively torching the Constitution with her latest gun control insanity.”
Lujan Grisham held her State of the State address Tuesday afternoon and called for the passage of a gun safety package she said would better protect residents from crime and violence, especially children.
NRA GETS UNANIMOUS GOP BACKING IN SUIT TO DISMANTLE GOVERNOR’S ‘UNLAWFUL’ GUN ORDER
A handgun in front of the New Mexico flag (NRA)
“I’m calling for a gun safety package. It bans assault weapons, raises the legal purchase for all guns to 21, institutes a 14-day waiting period, increasing penalties for felons in possession of a firearm, keeps guns out of parks and playgrounds and allows law enforcement officers to now file extreme risk protection orders,” Lujan Grisham said Tuesday.
“I want to be very clear: No responsible gun owner should be punished or prevented from exercising their right. And no child should ever be put in danger by a weapon of war, especially one wielded by a person who can’t pass a background check or can’t wait two weeks to get a firearm.”
NRA SLAMS DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR’S GUN ORDER, ISSUES HARSH ADVICE
Lujan Grisham’s remarks came after the governor was repeatedly interrupted by protesters with videos on social media showing protesters wearing “cease-fire now” shirts, referring to the war in Israel.
There are six gun control bills filed in the state House and Senate this legislative season and an “assault weapons ban” that has not yet been introduced but is detailed in a recent press release from the governor as a bill aimed at regulating “the manufacture, possession and sale of weapons of war, most often the gun used in mass casualty event.”
Lujan Grisham announced her “public safety legislative agenda” last week, which she described as the “largest” safety package in New Mexico history, while pinning blame on gun violence for recent crime trends.
Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks Aug. 9, 2023, in Belen, N.M. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
“This is, without a doubt, the largest and most comprehensive public safety package in our state’s history,” Lujan Grisham said last week of the package, according to a press release. “Gun violence is a significant contributor to the cycles of crime in our communities, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to end this epidemic.
“Likewise, we will strengthen our support for law enforcement, increase penalties for violent crimes and, once again, pursue legislation to keep violent offenders behind bars pending trial. All of this will build upon the progress and investments we’ve made in previous years.”
GOP ASKS UNLIKELY BIDEN ADMIN ALLY TO STEP IN TO STOP NM’S ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL POWER GRAB’
In the New Mexico House, four bills have already been filed, including House Bill 27, which would expand the state’s red flag confiscation laws to allow law enforcement and health officials to report a person’s potentially harmful behavior, which could require the individual to surrender guns to authorities.
AR-15 style rifles are displayed for sale at a gun store. (Reuters/Bing Guan/File Photo)
House Bill 114, if passed, would allow the New Mexico attorney general or local district attorneys to file lawsuits against the gun industry for injunctive relief and civil penalties.
NEW MEXICO GOV. GRISHAM SWIPES AT FELLOW DEMOCRAT WHO CALLED HER GUN CARRY BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL
The other two bills, House Bill 127 and House Bill 129, would prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing and possessing a semi-automatic weapon and increase the waiting period on gun purchases to 14 business days, respectively. The NRA-ILA notes on its website that if House Bill 129 passes, New Mexico would have the longest gun purchase waiting period in the nation.
The Senate has introduced its own version of a bill that would impose a 14-business day waiting period on gun purchases and a bill that would impose an 11% excise tax on guns, gun parts, suppressors and ammunition. The tax bill, styled after a similar California law that takes effect later this year, would collect the tax from gun retailers and place the funds in a victims reparation fund and a fund for abused children and families.
NEW MEXICO REPUBLICAN LEGISLATORS CALL FOR DEM GOV. GRISHAM’S IMPEACHMENT AFTER GUN ORDER: ‘SHE’S ROGUE’
President Biden, right, and Michelle Lujan Grisham, governor of New Mexico, on stage during a New Mexico Democrats rally in Albuquerque Nov. 3, 2022. (Malcolm/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“As a clear enemy of the Second Amendment and our self-defense rights, Governor Lujan Grisham is already being challenged by the NRA in the New Mexico Supreme Court. We remain on the front lines, ready to combat each and every one of her new oppressive gun control measures. The NRA stands with freedom-loving New Mexicans against Lujan Grisham’s assault,” Kozuch said.
Lujan Grisham came under fierce condemnation last year after signing an emergency public health order that temporarily suspended open and concealed carry across Albuquerque and the surrounding county.
NEW MEXICO DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR SLAMMED FOR ‘ANTI-2ND AMENDMENT’ PUSH: ‘ILLEGALLY TRYING TO SNATCH GUNS’
The NRA responded with a lawsuit in the state’s Supreme Court, arguing the order was unconstitutional, which earned unanimous support from GOP state House and Senate members and retired law enforcement officers, the Republican Party of New Mexico and the Libertarian Party of New Mexico.
As the number of lawsuits increased over the order, New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, a Democrat, distanced himself from the governor, telling her he would not defend her administration in court. Other Democrats also spoke critically of the measure, as did gun control activist and Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg.
Lujan Grisham said when she announced the order she anticipated legal challenges and raised eyebrows over her remarks on the Constitution.
“No constitutional right, in my view, including my oath, is intended to be absolute,” Lujan Grisham responded to a reporter in September when asked whether it’s “unconstitutional” to prevent Americans from exercising their right to bear arms.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
Los Angeles, Ca
Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food
Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Hospital needs help identifying man found unconscious in downtown Los Angeles
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
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