New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is not the only official working to curb gun violence through executive governmental action, the White House announced a new initiative aimed at containing gun violence.
Vice President Kamala Harris launched the Safer States Initiative aimed at curbing gun violence by providing states with federal support.
The initiative follows President Joe Biden’s announcement of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in September.
The four responsibilities given to the new office were enriching partnerships between the federal government partnerships with states and municipalities: to help them advance their own efforts to reduce gun violence,” a press release about the initiative states.
Related: Biden establishes gun violence prevention office
The Safer States Agenda includes the following key actions:
- Establishing a state office of gun violence prevention
- Investing in evidence-informed solutions to prevent and respond to gun violence, including community violence interventions, crime/gun intelligence centers and implementation of extreme risk protection orders (orders that temporarily prevent someone from accessing firearms)
- Strengthening support for survivors and victims of gun violence
- Reinforcing responsible gun ownership, including requiring safe storage of firearms and reporting of lost and stolen firearms
- Strengthening gun background checks, including enacting universal background check legislation and removing barriers to completing enhanced background checks
- Holding the gun industry accountable, including banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and enacting firearm-specific liability laws to ensure that gun violence victims have their day in court
Gun violence actions in New Mexico
New Mexico has already taken some actions, such as the Sept. 7 executive order declaring gun violence a public health emergency which initially included a 30-day ban on firearms in Bernalillo County.
“We believe that it is (an epidemic), and I would say around the country today that it is not being lost on any policymaker or American family. Gun violence is an American public health issue. It is in fact an epidemic,” Lujan Grisham said in a press conference Monday.
Related: 219 guns seized since MLG public health order went into effect
After a backlash that included litigation from gun rights advocates and the Republican Party of New Mexico as well as upper level law enforcement officials— including Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez— refusing to enforce it, the clause banning firearms in public areas in Bernalillo County was removed.
The clause’s removal came a day after a federal court order barring it from being enforced for 14 days was declared.
Between September and December, the executive order’s effects included two law enforcement summits that came up with ideas for legislation to be introduced during the 2024 legislative session.
There were also increases in arrests, firearm seizures and guns collected through gun buyback events.
Also, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, and Angus King, an Independent from Maine, introduced legislation aimed at preventing gun deaths while preserving Second Amendment rights.
The senators introduced the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act to the Senate on Nov. 30.
The legislation aims to regulate firearms based on the lethality of their internal mechanisms rather than on what the firearm looks like, to regulate the sale, transfer and manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms by making a list of prohibited firearms; preventing illegal modifications of legal firearms; mandating that future gas-operated designs are approved before manufacture and preventing illegal firearm self-assembly and manufacturing.
The bill’s text states that it does not intend to confiscate legally obtained and used firearms nor does it intend to violate Second Amendment protections such as a firearm’s intended use for hunting, sports or self-defense
DOJ announces firearms executive actions
The Department of Justice announced two executive actions to reduce gun violence: safe storage model legislation and lost and stolen firearms reporting model legislation.
The safe storage model legislation is intended to reduce school shootings, suicide by firearms, accidental shootings and firearms theft.
The model legislation shows how states can require safe firearm storage, including firearms stored in a vehicle, and to hold people responsible for harm caused by unsecured firearms, the press release states.
The lost and stolen firearms reporting model legislation aims to provide states with an outline to require people to promptly report firearms being lost or stolen to law enforcement.
This model legislation’s intention is to help law enforcement investigate and prosecute firearm trafficking.