Anti-Gunners Pushing Semi-Auto Ban in Santa Fe

Though New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham avoided any talk of gun control in this year’s State of the State address, several of her fellow Democrats are embracing her previous calls for a semi-auto ban. 

SB 279, introduced by a pair of freshman lawmakers from the Albuquerque area, is almost identical to the semi-auto ban that’s on the move in Colorado. Both bills are based on the federal GOSAFE Act introduced in Congress last year by New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich and Maine Sen. Angus King, which prohibits all gas-operated semi-automatic firearms that can accept a detachable magazine. 

Like the Colorado bill, the New Mexico semi-auto ban would grandfather in owners who already lawfully possess a semi-automatic firearm capable of accepting a detachable magazine, but the sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of those guns would be prohibited for everyone else starting on January 1, 2026. 

SB 279 was one of the main focuses of gun control activists who rallied at the New Mexico statehouse last week. 

“We may live in fear of being shot in school or in public, but we have the power to change this reality,” said Bo Wilson, a University of New Mexico student affiliated with a national gun safety group.

Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, who is a co-sponsor of this year’s proposal, told a group of roughly 60 people it would ensure “weapons of war” are no longer easily accessible in New Mexico communities.

These aren’t “weapons of war” we’re talking about. The most common and popular rifles in the country would be banned under Romero’s bill, along with many commonly owned shotguns and AR-style pistols. 

It’s an open question, however, whether Democrats have the votes to advance SB 279. Anti-gunners introduced a similar gun ban bill in 2024, and while HB 137 (authored by Romero) passed out of committee along party lines, it never received a vote on the House floor. 

Last year Romero bizarrely claimed that the legislation wasn’t a gun ban because “you can keep your weapon. You can keep that, so long as it’s registered,” while admitting that “if you have one today, you can keep it, but in the future, we do not want these in our communities.” 

Sorry, but that’s a gun ban, and one that’s aimed squarely at firearms that are in common use for lawful purposes. The Supreme Court has so far shied away from taking up an “assault weapon” case, though a challenge to Maryland’s AWB is still pending in conference. The bills under consideration in Colorado and New Mexico are even broader than Maryland’s law and should be an easy call for the Court to strike down if necessary, but we’d be much better off defeating these bills before they’re enacted into law. 

New Mexico gun owners were able to keep a semi-auto ban off the books last year, and they need to redouble their efforts now. The 60-day session is set to wrap up on April 11th, and unfortunately that gives the Democrat majority plenty of time to move on SB 279. Senators and representatives need to hear from their constituents now and demand they quit wasting time and energy by passing unconstitutional laws and instead address public safety by going after the individuals who are responsible for the state’s high rate of violent crime. We’ve beaten this bill once, and we can do it again, but it’s going to take some effort and outreach on the part of 2A defenders.