As RedState previously reported, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s unilateral decision to “issue a 30-day ban on the open & concealed carrying of guns in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County” in response to recent acts of deadly gun violence against children has been met with fierce resistance from Republicans, law enforcement officials in the state and beyond, and even some Democrats.
At least one gun rights group has already filed a lawsuit, and more are undoubtedly on the horizon in weeks to come.
Grisham, a Democrat who is in her second term as governor, appeared on CNN for an interview Tuesday in response to the massive backlash she’s received and was probably expecting a friendly back and forth with mostly agreement over her public health emergency declaration. Considering the fact that CNN, like most liberal media outlets, has generally been hostile to gun rights advocates and their arguments, one would understand why Grisham might have thought she’d be treated with kid gloves.
But that’s not what happened.
Grisham was repeatedly grilled by anchor Poppy Harlow over her stance and where she thought she was given the authority to issue a temporary ban on gun rights – and unsurprisingly, the governor had no good answers to any of Harlow’s questions and hypotheticals.
Watch:
"We also have, Governor, the Constitution … and you're an attorney. Do you think you're on solid constitutional ground?"
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: "I have the right"
"But where is the right?"
Lujan Grisham: "We'll see what all of these court actions do" pic.twitter.com/Rb3MeBZcVH
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 12, 2023
"You just heard from the sheriff. He joins the attorney general and others who say they won't enforce [a unilateral gun ban]. It's unconstitutional. Why do it if it can't be enforced?"
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: "Well that's their opinion" pic.twitter.com/YW7dxL61NU
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 12, 2023
"What if a Republican governor of a state declares a health emergency and unilaterally outlaws abortion in that state, where the legislature has not done so by statute — following your logic, would that also be sound?"
New Mexico Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: No
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 12, 2023
In this extended clip, Gov. Grisham, incredibly, blamed the NRA and law enforcement for gun violence in her state:
N.M. @GovMLG: “It’s not for police to tell me what’s constitutional or not. They haven’t supported one, not one gun violence effort in the state of New Mexico, including domestic violence protections, universal background checks.” pic.twitter.com/KE7YT0BS9B
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) September 12, 2023
It goes without saying that if you’re a proponent of gun control and you’ve lost CNN of all places, not to mention others on the left who generally side with you regarding the alleged need to further restrict access to guns, then it’s probably safe to say that you have lost the argument.
Fortunately, due to term limits, Grisham can’t run for reelection in 2026. The bad news is that residents are stuck with her until that time barring impeachment or resignation. The good news is that her order is unlikely to survive legal scrutiny in a court of law.
As always, stay tuned.
