New Mexico Dems Could Pass Broadest Gun Ban in U.S. This Week

For the past several years, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has been demanding the Democrat-controlled legislature deliver an “assault weapon” ban to her desk, and each and every session her fellow Democrats have declined to do so. In Grisham’s last year in office, though, Democrats are poised to deliver exactly what she wants; a bill that would take almost every semi-automatic long gun off the market in the Land of Enchantment. 

SB17, the omnibus gun ban, passed the Senate 21-17. It now moves over to the house side where we have to stop the bill from passing.

— NM Shooting Sports Association (@NM_SSA) February 8, 2026

New Mexico is in the middle of a 30-day session that’s supposed to be limited to budgetary issues only. Instead, Democrats are pushing a number of policy proposals, including SB 17, which would ban the sale and transfer of every gas-operated centerfire rifle that can accept a detachable magazine (along with those guns that have fixed magazine capacity of more than ten rounds), detachable magazines that can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition, and .50 BMG rifles, along with imposing a host of new regulations and restrictions on federally licensed firearms retailers. 

On Saturday afternoon the state Senate approved SB 17 along mostly party lines and sent the constitutional abomination on to the House, where it could come up for a vote as early as this week. 

“We have data that shows a lot of the gun crime in New Mexico is coming from guns sold at our local dealers, and we want the state to be able to also regulate and ensure those sales at our gun dealers here are responsible, are not straw purchases, and are happening as they should,” said state Sen. Heather Berghmans.

She says it would require gun shops to have more security measures, more training, keep thorough reports of sales and inventory, and their employees must be 21 years or older.

Yes, most guns used in crimes were originally sold by an FFL. That doesn’t mean, however, that New Mexico gun stores are doing anything wrong. That figure accounts for guns that are stolen or given to criminals by family and friends, along with straw purchases (which also can and do take place without the willing involvement of FFLs). 

Imposting these new requirements on FFL’s isn’t about stopping criminals from getting ahold of guns. It’s about making the process of being a gun store owner more difficult to navigate, more expensive to conduct business, and more legally dangerous to help people exercise a fundamental civil right. 

“The bill also does have an assault weapons ban in it, which is important, because those types of weapons are meant for war. They’re not meant for everyday people to have on the street,” said Berghmans.

House Rep. Randall Pettigrew, alongside the New Mexico House Republicans, stood outside to say they disagree.

“Limiting how many bullets go inside my magazine on my gun doesn’t change the impact of the capacity and the capability of that gun,” said Pettigrew.

He says the bill would violate Second Amendment rights.

“I don’t want to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens, and that’s where we get to, right? At the end of the day, this is all about limiting the capability of law-abiding citizens, not limiting the capability of criminals,” said Pettigrew.

If AR-15s and other guns banned by SB 17 were really weapons of war, then why on earh does Berghmans want police to still have access to these firearms? Why would she include a grandfather clause allowing existing owners of these supposedly battle-ready rifles to keep ahold of them? 

Berghmans’ bill isn’t about banning weapons of war. It’s banning the most popular rifles in the country, along with commonly owned ammunition magazines. Not only will this have a chilling effect on those trying to exercise their Second Amendment rights in the future, it also is another crushing blow to gun stores in the state, who’ll be forced to take much of their inventory off their shelves if SB 17 becomes law. 

SB 17 isn’t guaranteed passage in the House, though it’s definitely has momentum. There are several House Democrats who represent rural parts of the state, and they hold the key to SB 17’s future. There will be an attempt to weaken the bill on the House side by removing the gun ban language, as well as an effort to kill the bill outright in committee and on the House floor. 

New Mexico gun owners need to keep up the pressure and continue pressing their representatives to respect the Second Amendment and avoid another costly court fight over an unconstitutional gun control law. The state has already seen its bid for a 10-day waiting period shot down by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and SB 17’s gun and magazine ban is almost certain to meet the same fate if it’s enacted into law. Second Amendment advocate should be prepared to challenge the legislation in court if Grisham signs SB 17, but at the moment there’s still a chance to keep a bad bill from becoming bad law. 

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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