A House panel will send the gun control bill to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration after it narrowly approved the Democratic-backed measure on Wednesday.
The House Commerce and Economic Development Committee advanced Senate Bill 17 or the Stop Illegal Gun Act with a vote of 6–5.
Tightened sale or possession
SB 17 seeks to tighten regulations on firearm sales and classify certain weapons as dangerous to improve public safety. It would require licensed gun dealers to maintain inventory records and adopt additional security measures.
The measure would also restrict the sale or possession of gas-operated semiautomatic firearms, .50-caliber rifles, and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
Efforts to weaken the bill failed during the deliberations. Lawmakers rejected a proposed amendment to remove provisions restricting certain firearms by a 5–6 vote. Another motion to table the bill also failed.
SB 17 now heads to the House Judiciary Committee. If cleared, the bill will move to the House plenary.
Gun control bill unconstitutional, ineffective
Republican lawmakers sharply criticized the bill. They said the measure is unconstitutional and ineffective.
In a statement the House Republicans called the bill “an outright assault on the Second Amendment and on the freedoms of responsible New Mexicans.”
“Instead of addressing the violent crime crisis plaguing our communities, Democrats are choosing to punish law-abiding citizens and small business owners. That is not public safety. That is political theater,” according to the statement quoted by Albuquerque Journal.
Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park, one of the bill’s opponents, called it reckless and ineffective.
Lord said SB 17 subjected law abiding citizens and licensed firearm dealers to unreasonable burden. The bill, she said, “places crushing regulatory, surveillance, and reporting burdens on law-abiding, federally licensed firearm dealers and New Mexicans who legally purchase firearms to protect themselves and their families.”
The lawmaker presented the petition signed by 85,000 individuals calling for the “assault weapon ban” to be shut down.
A step to curb gun violence
Democrat lawmakers, however, asserted the measure is a step toward curbing gun violence in the state.
SB 17 represents practical steps to curb gun violence, Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Sta Fe, said. It will allow the state to hold retailers accountable to enforce existing laws, the lawmaker added.
The bill, according to the Democrat lawmaker, would ban the sale powerful firearms used in mass shootings.
Dozens of people attended the hearing to deliver their testimonies, including gun store owners, law enforcement officers, teachers, medical professionals, veterans, and gun violence survivors.