New Mexico Anti-Gun Decree Follows a Dangerous Path of ‘Emergency’ Rule

September 13, 2023

No response to authoritarian government actions is quicker or more reliable than non-compliance.

by J.D. Tuccille Reason.com

Democracy is under threat, we’re told, and it’s hard to shake the impression that the greatest danger is posed by democratically elected officials who refuse to accept limits on their power. New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham isn’t the first officeholder to decide that the normal give and take of debate and legislation is too much bother, and to attempt to rule by decree. Boosted by pandemic panic, politicians have grown accustomed to declaring “emergencies” as an excuse to behave like monarchs.

That said, the public shows signs of being fed up with convenient “emergencies.”

“Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Friday a new public health order that outlines immediate actions aimed at quickly reducing gun violence and illegal drug use in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County,” the governor’s office announced September 8. “The action plan includes a suspension of open and concealed carry laws in Bernalillo County, temporarily prohibiting the carrying of guns on public property with certain exceptions.”