New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment…and unconstitutional gun control. How is a state, with a population of just over two million people, always the vetting ground for gun control zealots’ bright ideas? Before legislation is handed over to legislators in “un-gun friendly” states like California, Illinois, New York and Washington, it always seems like gun control groups like Michael Bloomberg backed Everytown, or Giffords use New Mexico as a beta-test to see how much “they” can get away with before ending up arguing before SCOTUS.
Under the abysmal “leadership” of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the answer to violence committed with a firearm is to prevent law abiding constituents from exercising their rights. If you recall back in 2023, this is the same Governor who decided to criminalize lawful carrying of firearms in Alburquerque as a solution to increasing gang related violence and a complete failure of law enforcement, under the guise of “public health.”
When I wrote a piece for the Washington Times about this unconstitutional act, the commentary afterwards was rather disturbing. New Mexicans, directly impacted DID NOT support the overreach; however, social justice warriors, whose only familiarity with the state was binge watching Breaking Bad a decade prior, supported it and applauded the Governor for being “bold” and “courageous.” Fast forward to 2025 when the New Mexico Supreme Court fully backed Governor Gungrabber’s “public health crisis”, and Democrats in full control of the legislature and external financing and pubic-support. Things were not looking good for New Mexico’s gun owners.
In 2026, you guessed it, New Mexico Democrats are going after the 2nd Amendment again, this time with an extensive gun control bill that not only impacts gun owners, but federally licensed firearm dealers as well. As has been previously documented here at Bearing Arms, Senate Bill 17, known as “Stop Illegal Gun Trade Act” is an extreme example of the lengths Democrats will go to disarm law abiding citizens, and bankrupt gun store owners.
Like I previously said, New Mexico has become the testing ground for gun control, so I will not be shocked when similar bills spread across the nation ahead of the mid-term election cycle, so pay attention. The giant 2A infringement known as SB-17introduces the prohibition of the sale or transfer of firearms classified as “extremely dangerous weapons,” including:
• Gas-operated semi-automatic firearms that accept detachable magazines or have fixed magazines above 10 rounds (to include most common semi-automatic rifles and carbines).
• Machine guns (including semi-autos modified forautomatic fire).
• Standard-capacity magazines which hold more than 10 rounds.
Essentially, this bill would only allow New Mexicans to own manually operated guns, which includes bolt-action rifles, lever/pump actions, revolvers, and somesemiautomatic handguns with certain recoil systems, and fixed-magazine guns under 10 rounds. But wait, there’s more.
In addition to these unconstitutional restrictions, New Mexico anti-gun Legislators also seek to ruin gun industry business owners, with extensive new requirements for federally licensed firearms dealers in New Mexico:
• Security mandates, such as alarm systems, surveillance cameras, and other “site-hardening” measures.
• Employee standards: dealers must hire employees 21+ years old, conduct criminal background checks permitted, and provide training.
• Record-keeping and reporting: ongoing inventory documentation, reporting of thefts/losses, multiple sales, and trace data to state authorities.
• Inspections and mandatory posting of State legal/safety notices.
• Penalties for violations range from misdemeanors to civil fines.
With the bulk of FFLs and gun stores in New Mexico being small, family-owned businesses, the hidden agenda is to create huge financial burdens on honest business owners trying to make a living. Nowhere in the country do we see mandated security systems at car dealerships to prevent auto theft, or facial recognition cameras at convenience stores to “catch” underage kids (or “progressive” beta males) trying to purchase their White Claws.
This is not about safety; it is about control.
Under no circumstance would urban policy applied to a rural gun culture yield positive results. Not a single item listed in this bill will stop violent crimes committed with firearms, especially in a state where gang and cartel crime is an incurable cancer. If the Governor and her Bloomberg backed politicians really wanted you see a reduction in violent crime, they need to focus on policy to solve those problems rather thanattempting to ban guns in common use. Instead, it targets farmers, ranchers and those who want to live far away from population centers.
When I asked staunch 2A supporter and State Representative Stefani Lord (R-22) about this bill, she indicated SB-17 “creates sweeping new government control over lawful gun dealers and bans the future sale of many commonly owned firearms and magazines. It mandates surveillance, extensive reporting, and expanded state inspections of lawful businesses. This bill targets the law-abiding far more than the criminals it claims to stop and that’s why I strongly oppose it.”
Lord wasn’t the was not the only person opposing this overreach. She later tweeted that at “11:45 PM and the Judiciary room is still PACKED with New Mexicans standing up for their constitutional rights.” Could the time of the complete trampling on the Constitution in New Mexico by Democrats finally be ending?
If New Mexico’s draconian concealed carry prohibitions, red flag laws, forced storage requirements, and expanded waiting periods have not worked, why would this new attempt at regulating hardware and administrative functions will? SB-17 represents a deliberate effort to undermine the Second Amendment through incremental bans, administrative obstruction, and redefinition; an approach designed to exhaust lawful gun owners into submission. This is a direct assault on constitutionally protected conduct, carried out with open contempt for due process, property rights, and individual liberty.
[Editor’s Note – I spoke to New Mexico Shooting Sports Association’s Zach Fort about SB 17 on today’s Bearing Arms’ Cam & Company as well. You can check out the conversation in the video window below. – Cam]
Editor’s Note: The gun control lobby and their media allies continue to lie about gun owners and the Second Amendment.
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