Moms Demand Action Applauds New Mexico House for Passing Life-Saving Extreme Risk Legislation

The New Mexico chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement after the New Mexico House passed SB 5, legislation to enact an extreme risk law in New Mexico: 

“Our lawmakers sent a message to New Mexicans that they are invested in doing everything they can to keep our communities safe,” said Regina Griego, a volunteer leader with the New Mexico chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Extreme risk legislation is one of the most powerful tools for preventing mass shootings, school shootings, and firearm suicides. New Mexico is one step closer to becoming a safer state. We urge Gov. Lujan Grisham to swiftly sign this bill into law.”

House passage of SB 5 comes just one week after the New Mexico Senate passed the bill out of the Senate chamber. Passage of the bill also comes on the heels of the New Mexico chapter’s annual advocacy day, where Moms Demand Action volunteers held more than 50 meetings with lawmakers urging them to pass extreme risk legislation. The bill now moves on to the governor’s desk. 

In January, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she would include gun safety legislation in her 2020 legislative agenda. Under an extreme risk law, law enforcement would be able to petition a court for an extreme risk protection order to temporarily remove guns from a person in crisis. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have already enacted extreme risk laws, and 12 of these laws have been passed since the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018.  

Every year, nearly 250 people die by gun suicide in New Mexico, with an average of 35 hours between gun suicide deaths. In a moment of crisis, access to a gun can be the difference between life and death. About 90 percent of suicide attempts using a gun end in death, compared to four percent of suicide attempts that do not involve a firearm.

Statistics about gun violence in New Mexico are available here, and information on how New Mexico’s gun laws compared to other states overall is available here.