NMSSA Legislative Update 3/1/23

Today's legislative action got off to a wild start when the governor threatened to hold a special session to focus on gun control if the legislature doesn't pass her priority bills. Her threat was noted in the Senate Finance Committee where HB9, the bill that would impose criminal penalties on a gun owner if a third-party minor uses their gun to commit a crime or injure someone, was scheduled to be heard this morning. Senate Finance rolled the bill over in their morning meeting, but did end up hearing HB9 this afternoon where it passed on party-lines. The bill now heads to the floor of the senate for a vote by the full senate. In the Senate Judiciary Committee, SB116 was heard after sitting dormant in the committee for weeks. The bill would ban the purchase and possession of semiautomatic firearms by anyone under the age of 21. After some lively debate, a motion to table the bill failed on a bipartisan vote of 4-4. Then, a motion to pass the bill also failed on a bipartisan 4-4 vote. This means the bill stays in Senate Judiciary for now, but can be brought back again. Not all committee members were present at the meeting. The governor pushed hard to have HB100, the proposed 14-day waiting period for gun purchases, heard on the floor of the house today. But thanks to the pushback against the bill from New Mexicans from across the state, the bill wasn't called up for a vote today. HB101, the ban on the sale of semiautomatic rifles and registration of currently owned ones, is still waiting to be brought up again in the House Judiciary Committee. We know that the governor is pushing very hard behind the scenes for both of these bills, so we are watching them closely right now.

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