Three gun bills advanced in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that are all in line with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham鈥檚 public safety agenda.
The House Judiciary Committee heard about three hours of impassioned testimonies over two bills. The first, , would raise the minimum age for firearm purchases and possession from 18 to 21.
The bill has some exceptions, for example, safety courses and competitions, but Michelle Frost-Maynard with the New Mexico Cattle Growers鈥� and Wool Growers鈥� Associations said that鈥檚 not enough.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no general exception for minors or young adults possessing these firearms in self-defense, defense of another or defense of livestock when we鈥檙e out there working in remote areas,鈥� she said.
The committee also heard , which would ban the sale and possession of some semi-automatic firearms. It mirrors federal legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Chris Marvin with the Everytown Veterans Advisory Council spoke in favor of the bill.
鈥淭hese weapons are a poor choice for hunting,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e unreasonably awkward for self-defense. Military-style assault weapons have only one purpose 鈥� suppressing and killing the enemy in combat.鈥�
Both passed the committee as is.
The Senate Judiciary Committee spent about a half an hour on , a bill that would put a 14-day waiting period in place for firearms purchases. The committee passed the bill with one change: that the waiting period be modified from 14 business days to 14 calendar days.
The bills now head to the floors of the Senate and the House. An earlier bill, , and is waiting for a hearing on the House floor. Another, , would make changes to the extreme risk protection order, which is designed to keep weapons out of the hands of those who may pose a danger to themselves or others. It is waiting for a hearing on the House floor.
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