March 4 (UPI) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a handful of public safety measures on Monday that strengthen restrictions on gun ownership and penalties for violent crimes.
The Democratic governor signed the four bills during a press conference at Albuquerque’s West Mesa High School, where in October two students were found in possession of firearms.
“This legislation strikes at the heart of issues that are keeping New Mexicans up at night,” Grisham said in a statement.
“We are losing far too many lives when guns get into the wrong hands and violent criminals are allowed to recommit again and again. This legislation addresses both.”
Among the legislation signed was Senate Bill 5, which prohibits carrying firearms within 100 feet of polling and ballot dropoff locations, with exceptions in place for those with concealed-carry permits.
With the passing of the law, New Mexico joins 11 other states as well as Washington, D.C., which have bans on guns in polling stations, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
“Guns and voting are a toxic mix,” New Mexico Senate majority leader Peter Wirth, a Democrat, said in a statement. “As elections have become known targets for threats and intimidation, it’s important we are enacting this legislation ahead of the upcoming election cycle.”
Grisham also signed House Bill 129 into law that doubles the current state waiting period to purchase a weapon to seven days, which also includes exemptions for concealed-carry permit holders and those with a Federal Fire Arms License, as well as law enforcement.
The two violent crime-related bills Grisham signed Monday were S.B. 96, which strengthens penalties for 2nd-degree murder-related offices, and S.N. 271, which mandates judges to hold certain violent defendants without bond if they are accused of having committed another felony while out on bond for a previous violent offense.
“It’s time we treat crime like the serious problem it is in New Mexico,” Grisham said published on X, along with a picture of herself during the Monday news conference.
“That’s why today I signed four bills that will help make our state safer.”
In September, following the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy at a baseball game, Grisham declared gun violence a public health emergency in an effort to reduce violence and have local officials request emergency state funding to tackle the problem.
She also initiated the Bernalillo County Violence Crime Reduction Operation for that area, which, as of Jan. 31, has resulted in more than 4,800 arrests and the seizure of nearly 350 firearms.
According to statistics from the governor’s office, New Mexico’s firearm-related death rate has climbed 87% from 2011 to 2021.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Metropolitan Court of Bernalillo County had another packed docket Saturday morning.
“We are the busiest courthouse in the state. We see more than every other courthouse does, from the traffic tickets to the misdemeanor cases and the initial felony cases that are filed here,” said Metropolitan Court Chief Judge Joshua Sanchez.
Sanchez says the court oversees about 100 cases a day and Saturday New Mexico’s top judge, Chief Justice David Thomson of the New Mexico Supreme Court, got a firsthand look at the court’s caseload.
Sanchez says he welcomes the visit.
“We go to these statewide meetings, and they hear about how things happen. But until you actually kind of sit there with another judge and see what happens, it’s kind of eye-opening to see the kind of controlled chaos that we have on a Saturday morning,” he said about the visit.
He adds their biggest challenge at Metro Court is the case load.
Thomson says he plans to visit courts statewide to see these challenges for himself.
“I think it’s a good idea just to come down and see it. And what you see, if you watch these, is you see all the interactions between what we face, just not as a court system, as a society, right?” said Sanchez.
Just from one morning sitting in on court proceedings, he said it’s clear mental health plays a huge part in a lot of the cases metro court hears.
“If there are questions of competency, we can catch those questions here, rather when they get transferred to felony court, that’s one, can they be assessed early on,” Thomson said.
He also noticed a lot of repeat offenders.
“I think it’s very helpful to see it firsthand. On a few of these individuals. I’ve actually asked to look at some of the criminal history, so I have an understanding of the particulars,” said Thomson.
Sanchez said he hopes for more visits like this in the future.
“It’s just nice to give some real perspective and validates, I think, a lot of the things that we do communicate to AOC and the Supreme Court and things that we’re seeing,” said Thomson.
The CSU-Pueblo football team exploded for a 67-28 win over New Mexico Highlands.
The Thunderwolves reached the 66 point mark for the second straight week.
CSU-Pueblo improves to 5-1 this season.
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