Anti-gun-rights Democrats—this time in New Mexico—are once again trying to reduce violent gun-related crime by penalizing people who aren’t responsible, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms says in response.
“Senate Bill 17, which was passed by state Senate Democrats over the weekend, would ban semi-automatic firearms and original capacity magazines,” said CCRKBA Managing Director Andrew Gottlieb, “but it’s not going to prevent criminals from committing crimes. All this does s create the false impression that Democrats are doing something, when in reality they’re not accomplishing anything at all, except for adding burdens to firearms retailers and the law-abiding gun owners they serve.
“Proponents of this legislation have resorted to the usual inflammatory rhetoric we’ve come to expect, by calling these firearms and magazines ‘weapons of war,’” Gottlieb stated. “Tens of millions of law-abiding American citizens, including many New Mexicans, own such firearms and magazines, and they’re not a danger to anyone.”
The legislation, which may be read here, spans 17 pages. It passed on a 22-17 vote, with two Democrats crossing the aisle to vote against it.
“According to the World Population Review,” Gottlieb noted, “New Mexico is in the middle in terms of overall gun ownership, ranking 25th among the fifty states. It is astonishing that this sort of legislation is being pushed to the detriment of firearms retailers and their customers, none of whom has harmed anybody. Ratcheting down on the rights of honest people is not the way to fight crime.
“We’re encouraging gun owners in New Mexico to contact their state representatives and ask them to reject this legislation,” Gottlieb said. “Lawmakers need to go back to the drawing board and sit down with people from the firearms community to find solutions which do not penalize honest gun owners and firearms retailers.”
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About the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
