New Mexico Lawmakers Seek to Repeal Waiting Period for Gun Purchases

There’s something inherently insidious to me about waiting periods for gun purchases. I understand the arguments about “cooling off periods” and whatnot, and while I understand what they’re saying, those proposing waiting periods never seem to try to understand that sometimes, people are being threatened and can’t wait however long for a firearm. At least, they can’t just assume they do.

I understand where they’re coming from, I’m just unconvinced it’s a net positive and I’m absolutely convinced that a right delayed is a right denied.

So, I get a warm, fuzzy feeling anytime a lawmaker somewhere tries to repeal a waiting period, which is what’s happening in New Mexico.

Several Southeast New Mexico lawmakers are spearheading an effort to repeal the state’s controversial seven-day waiting period on new firearm purchases.

Last Tuesday, state Reps. Jimmy Mason (R-Artesia), Randall Pettigrew (R-Lovington), John Block (R-Alamogordo), Jack Chatfield (R-Mosquero) and Joseph Sanchez (D-Alcalde) introduced House Bill 162 (H.B. 162) that would scrap the nearly one-year-old gun safety measure.

The legislation, co-sponsored by 20 other House Republicans, was introduced last week and referred to the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee.

Co-sponsors include local legislators Jonathan Henry (R-Artesia), Angelita Mejia (R-Dexter) and Mark Murphy (R-Roswell).

If enacted into law, H.B. 162 would eliminate the seven-day waiting period before a firearm dealer can legally transfer ownership of a firearm to a buyer for the purpose of completing a background check on that individual and would revert back to the federal three-day waiting period.

People who violate the seven-day waiting period are guilty of a misdemeanor under the current state law.

Firearm sales and transfers between law enforcement officers and agencies, family members and holders of a valid federal firearms license or New Mexico concealed carry permit are exempt from the seven-day waiting period.

Proponents of the seven-day waiting period, initially introduced as a 14-day waiting period, said the law provides a cooling off period for individuals for firearm purchases by a buyer intent on harming themselves or other people.

I’m sorry, but if you’re exempting sales between family members, I’m not buying the “cooling off period” argument on this one. I understand the argument, but if people can just bypass it so easily, then it’s not a serious concern. 

What the waiting period is really about is just creating more and more barriers between law-abiding citizens and their right to keep and bear arms. Remember, this is New Mexico, a state where the governor tried to unilaterally ban the lawful carry of firearms in Albuquerque simply because she figured she could.

Plus, violating the law right now is a misdemeanor. That pretty much means it’s legal for a price. Those aren’t serious repercussions in any appreciable way, which means they don’t see this as that big of an issue, either.

So yeah, this needs to be repealed. It needs to be repealed so hard.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Again, New Mexico seems to be a state that is bound and determined not to respect gun rights. While the waiting period hasn’t really done anything, it’s a popular enough thing with anti-gunners in state legislatures that they’ll do everything they can to make it impossible to repeal. And since both chambers are heavily Democrat, that shouldn’t be difficult.

It’s a shame, too, because again, it needs to be repealed.