By Michael Letts
It looked a bit like the Old West in Albuquerque this past weekend as law-abiding Americans openly carried their legal firearms in public.
Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham placed a 30-day ban on all firearms (except law enforcement and licensed security officers) in Albuquerque. She called it a public health emergency. Both Republicans and Democrats are calling it a violation of their Second Amendment rights.
Dozens of New Mexican gun owners showed up to peacefully protest the order, which is a blatant violation of the Second Amendment.
“All we want to do is protect our families, our friends, our communities, I’ve gone on two combat tours with the Marine Corps and fought on the front lines. I’ve done 11 trips as an independent contractor,” one of the protestors said. “[Grisham] thinks she has the right to take away my freedom to protect my community, I don’t think so. This will not stand, we will not comply!”
Interestingly, although police were in the area, they did not disperse the protestors or enforce the public health order. Could it be that they realized that if they did, they would be opening their departments up to legal problems?
The National Association for Gun Rights has already filed suit against Grisham to fight the order. The plaintiffs cite the Supreme Court decision that found New York’s concealed carry law was unconstitutional. Even Washington, D.C., had its gun control laws overturned years ago.
How do you know Grisham is fighting a losing battle? Liberal Democrats are speaking out against it. Democrat Rep. Ted Lieu of California and David Hogg, a gun control advocate and survivor of the Parkland High shooting, both criticized the public health order on X (formerly Twitter).
“I support gun safety laws,” Lieu tweeted. “However, this order from the Governor of New Mexico violates the U.S. Constitution. No state in the union can suspend the federal Constitution. There is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.”
Hogg echoed the statement, writing, “I support gun safety but there is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.”
Legal scholars have also pointed out the illegality of order, but Grisham apparently feels that she is above the U.S. Constitution.
“There are literally too many people to arrest,” Grisham said during a press conference announcing the order. “If there’s an emergency, and I’ve declared an emergency for a temporary amount of time, I can invoke additional powers. No constitutional right, in my view, including my oath, is intended to be absolute.”
She doesn’t feel she needs to honor her oath or obey the Constitution. This is something tyrants say. Grisham just laid out the case for her impeachment. The legislature should take action. If Grisham doesn’t feel obligated to honor this element of her oath of office, what’s to stop her from continuing to ignore other parts of it or extending her 30-day ban?
Her attitude is the reason that Americans need to be armed and should resist her illegal actions.
Michael A. Letts is the CEO and Founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.