#NewMexico – Odd Stuffing

New Mexico Rights Must Wait

New Mexico’s Governor made gun control a priority in this year’s 30-day budget legislative session. The good news is only two gun control bills passed out of the Round House. The bad news is two gun control bills did pass out of the Round House. Not satisfied with the outcome, the Governor has already suggested she may call a special legislative session to deal with her “gun safety” agenda.

Specifically:

SB 5 bans firearms from polling places. Restrictions include within 100 feet of a door to a polling place or within 50 feet of a monitored secured container (drop box) beginning 28 days before election day. Exemptions exist for law enforcement officers, persons in private vehicles and for those carrying concealed with a valid concealed handgun license.

HB129 establishes a seven calendar day waiting period for the purchase of firearms. There are exceptions for buyers who hold a Federal Firearms License (FFL), a valid New Mexico concealed carry handgun license, law enforcement agencies and officers, as well as between immediate family members.

It should be noted the majority New Mexico Democrats rejected an amendment for victims of domestic violence from having to wait seven days to receive a firearm because it “might result in the homicide of a perpetrator of domestic violence…”

If you’re looking more of the asinine thinking involved in these kinds of laws, I give you the proposed HB 316. “This bill creates a new law which makes it illegal for a felon to use a firearm during the commission of a felony. The first offense carries an up to five-year sentence. Subsequent convictions have an up to nine-year sentence.”

So… It would be a felony for a felon, who is already committing a felony by possessing a firearm, to use a firearm in the commission of another felony.

These are the kinds of mental gymnastics required when prosecutors and judges don’t hold criminals accountable for their actions. They wheel and deal on charges, minimizing or dismissing them, imposing suspended sentences, and releasing those convicted early ‘in the interest of justice’, but now want to look like they are being serious about crime. The result is absolutely idiotic NEW crimes like this.

Here’s a novel idea for you. Arrest, charge and convict criminals for the crimes they commit and make them serve their sentences.

Pure speculation on my part, but I’d say New Mexico’s tiny tyrant is pushing as much gun control as she can in hopes to gain favor and a spot in the next democrat administration. She missed out last time, due in part to her own scandals, but with her second term coming to an end in 2026, she’s probably looking to land a cushy cabinet post.

Let’s recall the Governor’s statement on her so-called “public safety legislative agenda” just before this legislative session began: “This is the largest public safety package ever presented. We are committed to using every tool and evidence-based strategy to improve the climate, to deal with gun violence, and to make sure that New Mexicans are clear that we believe in the constitutional right to safe homes and neighborhoods.”

Of course, there is no such thing as a constitutional right to safe homes and neighborhoods. State and local governments do have a constitutional duty to protect public safety, but their powers limited by the Constitution so as not to infringe on the rights of individuals. They also cannot be held liable when they fail to protect the public. That’s called taking all the responsibility but none of the accountability.

Perhaps the New Mexico Governor was referring to the California Governor’s “Right to Safety” 28^thAmendment proposal which supersedes and effectively eliminates the protections of the Second Amendment. Considering it would do the exact opposite of what it says it will do, a better title would be “The Right to Be a Victim”.

I’m betting the Governor will put on a full-on dog and pony show when she signs these bills into law, as well as announce a special session to push the rest of her do-nothing-to-improve-public-safety.

Hold strong New Mexico and continue to let your representatives, democrat and republican, know that Second Amendments protected rights are NOT second-class rights. And if they disagree, well, perhaps it’s time for new representation.

Bob

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Bruen? What’s Bruen? (Hard Left Turn At Albuquerque Part 2)

True to political form, New Mexico’s leftist governor issued an updated executive order on September 15^th, another Friday afternoon. This comes two days after a Federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against a portion of the original executive order, the section which banned all open or concealed carry in Albuquerque and the rest of Bernalillo County. The new order modifies this section to only include public parks or playgrounds, or other public areas provided for children to play in.

The opposition to the governor’s original “public health emergency” executive order was loud and swift. Many within her own Democrat party including the Albuquerque Mayor, Police Chief, the Bernalillo County District Attorney and Sheriff opposed it. Even the Democrat State Attorney General spoke out against the order and said he would not defend it because of its unconstitutionality.

With this order modification, it will be interesting to see if those who previously opposed gun-control by public health emergency executive order are now okay with this limited version.

It’s worth noting that none of the tragic shootings of children cited by the governor as her motivation for banning the open or concealed carry of firearms occurred in a public park or playground.

Let’s be crystal clear about what is happening here. Ever since the United States Supreme Court ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen in 2022, gun-control states have been passing “Bruen response laws”. Not to comply with it mind you, but to circumvent it and make the ruling moot. A common feature among them is to declare virtually all public and privately owned space outside your home a “sensitive space” where firearms are not allowed, thus negating the whole concept of being able to carry a firearm for personal protection outside the home.

The good news is most of the elements of these laws are currently held up in litigation as they clearly violate Bruen. A bold new solution to get around these legislative gun-control laws being held up in the courts was needed. Enter the public health emergency and a governor who leans far enough to the left to sign her name to it.

I have zero doubts this concept came from the very same privately funded gun-control institutions who are behind the majority of gun-control legislation in this country. This may have been why New Mexico’s governor wasn’t phased by her own Attorney General saying he would not defend it. These groups have also been providing free legal services to defend their gun-control products all over the country. All they need is a politician’s signature.

The fact that the governor has no intention of calling a special legislative session this year to address rising crime, violence or public safety is further evidence her public health emergency is an end run around Bruen. She will instead prioritize “gun safety measures” in the 2024 session including a prohibition on automatic weapons, a 14-day waiting period for gun sales and a ban on selling guns to those under 21. Of course, none of these are or has been a factor in the crime and violence problem the state has been facing.

One section untouched by the temporary restraining order is the monthly inspections of firearms dealers to ensure compliance with gun laws. While there has never been any implication of firearms dealer’s operations contributing to the current crime and violence situation, authorizing monthly state inspections is another gun-control priority measure to increase costs for dealers and consumers through state licensing and regulation. I am hopeful the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) will make good on their promise to file suit against this before the state begins inspections.

Less noticed at the bottom of the updated executive order is a section stating that free trigger locks shall be made available to each firearm owner, limit of one each, just call or email the state. Groundbreaking thinking on behalf of the governor of New Mexico? Well….

Did you know you can get FREE gun locks from just about every police department in the country, including the Albuquerque Police Department and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department? No fuss, no muss, just go in and ask for them. How is this possible? Because the NSSF, the trade association for the firearms industry provides them for free.

“Project ChildSafe is a real firearms safety solution that helps make communities safer. Since 1999, more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies have partnered with the program to distribute more than 37 million firearm safety kits to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. territories.”

Please consider the governor has said she would extend this public health emergency order at the end of the 30-day period based on the results on crime.

Crime and violence are complicated community issues. They have been made worse by years of criminal laws being loosened, no-bail laws passed, the election of soft-on-criminal prosecutors defunding the police, violent offenders not being arrested or prosecuted, convicted criminals let out of prisons and prisons being closed.

To think that a 30-day public health emergency order that does NOTHING but disarm the law-abiding citizenry in public will do anything but make crime and violence WORSE is insanity. If gun-control by executive order is allowed to stand, everyone around the country better start getting used to saying:

It’s just 30-days to flatten the curve.

Bob

*Image from Gun Owners of New Mexico

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Hard Left Turn At Albuquerque

Friday afternoon, September 8^th, New Mexico’s left fringe governor issued Executive Order 2023-130 Declaring State of Public Health Emergency Due To Gun Violence. With this order, she banned the carrying firearms in public, both open carry and licensed concealed carry in Albuquerque as well as the rest of Bernalillo County. This, along with some other new state level controls, will be in effect for 30 days, at which point she will decide if it will be renewed.

While it is painfully obvious this order is completely unwarranted and unconstitutional, the governor issued it anyway. The governor admitted in her press conference that she expects to be sued over this and did not expect criminals will follow this order, “but this sends a message”.

The governor said gun owners still would be able to transport guns to private locations such as a gun range or gun store if the firearm is in a container or has a trigger lock or mechanism making it impossible to discharge.  The state police would be responsible for enforcing what amount to civil violations and carry a fine of up to $5,000.

The executive order, which itself is full of inaccuracies, sneaks in another gun-control priority as well. It orders monthly inspections of firearms dealers to ensure compliance with gun laws, something the State of New Mexico has never had legal authority to do before. Authorizing monthly inspections is a step towards state licensing and regulation of firearms dealers.

As justification for this massive overreach of state executive authority, the governor sited the deaths of three children, two in Albuquerque and one in three counties away over a three-month period. The two local shootings were from an apparent road range incident where arrests have been made and the other an apparent targeted drive by shooting. Two of the three were committed by underage shooters who are already prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. At least one was a confirmed gang shooting.

The purposeful timing of a Friday afternoon meant there would be no chance of getting a court injunction against the order before Monday. As of today, at least two lawsuits have already been filed against this order.

Keep in mind this is the same governor who in 2020 criticized the Trump administration for sending federal law enforcement officers to assist the overwhelmed Albuquerque police with crime and violence. “If the Trump administration wishes to antagonize New Mexicans and Americans with authoritarian, unnecessary and unaccountable military-style ‘crackdowns,’ they have no business whatsoever in New Mexico.”  Ironic isn’t it?

Republicans in the New Mexico legislature are already attempting to file articles of impeachment against the governor. However, with the Roundhouse firmly dominated by Democrats in a super-majority, the chances of this being successful is somewhere between none and nil. Current state law does not allow the governor to be recalled and unsurprisingly, bills to permit this have failed in previous legislative sessions.

The District Attorney and Police Chief of Albuquerque, both Democrat appointees, have publicly stated they will not enforce this unconstitutional order. The Democrat Sheriff of Bernalillo County stated “I have reservations regarding this order.” A growing number of other Democrats and left-wing talking heads have also publicly criticized the overreach of this order.

Of course, there is absolutely zero logic behind this. Disarming the law-abiding residents of an entire county while in public, while acknowledging the criminals, who are already breaking the law by carrying firearms will not, only disarms their intended victims and makes it easier and safer (for the criminals) to commit their crimes. The real answer has always been enforcing the laws already on the books and holding those who break them responsible for their own actions.

When you’re looking at this action, keep in mind using a public health emergency to address so-called “gun violence” through radical gun-control measures has been discussed since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

This was not done in a vacuum. It was absolutely done in coordination with the extreme left coast gun-control organization, the Democrat party, and the current administration. This is nothing more than a litmus test to see if public health emergencies can be used to do an end run around the United States Supreme Court’s rulings against unconstitutional gun control laws.

The off-the-left California governor is using a proposed 28^th Amendment to the United States Constitution to supersede the Second Amendment and implement massive nationwide gun-control as part of his yet-to-be-announced 2024 presidential run. It is a bold and outrageous proposal full of lies made to entice gun-control advocates and falsely placate Second Amendment advocates.

You have to wonder if the New Mexico governor is also planning on using this as a steppingstone for her own political motives, such as a Vice President or senate run, a cabinet position or US ambassador posting with the next administration, something she missed out on due to her own scandals with the current administration.

If you look at the bigger picture of gun-control, this is a logical step. It’s no accident that criminal laws have been loosened, no-bail laws passed, soft on criminal prosecutors have been elected, lawbreakers not arrested or prosecuted, police departments defunded, convicted criminals let out of prisons and prisons closed. The result has been uncontrolled crime sprees and violence that have cost lives and livelihoods, and made city streets unsafe for anyone who dares to brave them. At some point, some bold action must be taken before the people figure out these policies are what is getting them killed.

Guess what the bold action is? Blaming the law-abiding citizen and their firearms.

The good news is Albuquerque/Bernalillo County residents are stepping up. As I write this they are rallying and coordinating to stop this in its tracks.

This isn’t just about the rights in one city or county, it’s about the rights of the entire nation.
This isn’t just about one extremist gun-control politician, it’s about all the gun-control politicians.
This isn’t about the ability to protect yourself from crime and violence in one city, it’s about the ability of every American to be able to protect themselves from crime and violence at home AND in public in EVERY city.

One last note. Watch what is going on here carefully. While some may be against THIS unconstitutional gun-control measure, it doesn’t mean they aren’t 100% willing to replace it with another unconstitutional one.

Bob

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A Warning For Semi-Free Americans

California defending its unconstitutional gun control laws is nothing new. They write laws intended to strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights while simultaneously writing laws to keep criminals from being punished and releasing those who are already in jail. When these laws are challenged, activist judges put in place by extremist politicians rubber stamp them with some of the most outrageous legal rational to ever come out of a court.

After having their laws against so-called large capacity magazines (LCMs) ruled unconstitutional at the District Court and with a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Duncan v. Becerra, California has requested a hearing by an en banc panel. Nothing new here, it’s the state just prolonging the fight and running up the bills for the opponents. But what might have gone unnoticed is the 18 Attorneys General who sent a friend-of-the-court in support of California’s law. While some of these states already have a form of magazine restrictions in place, others do not. If you live in one of these states, what do you think this means for the future of your standard capacity magazines?

Attorneys General from Washington D.C, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington all signed onto the brief.

Of the states with magazine restrictions, most limit them to 10 rounds, a couple are 15 or mixed 10 & 15 for rifle & handgun. Others, like New Jersey, were at 15 and recently cut that to 10. A couple of these states have “grandfathered” clauses which allow those who possessed them to keep them after the law change. Of course, we all know that “grandfathered” just means deferred confiscation as California residents found out when the state changed its mind on legally possessed “grandfathered” magazines and decided they were now illegal.

The other states, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington do NOT have laws against so-called large capacity magazines. BUT… their Attorney General supports them. What do you think this means for the future of magazine capacity laws? It means sooner or later, like it or not, these states WILL restrict magazines to 10 rounds.

Why 10 rounds? There really isn’t any rhyme or reason to it. 15 was apparently too many and seven as implemented and ruled unconstitutional in New York was too few. There certainly isn’t any science or research to support it. If you read the rational from extremist gun control think tank & quasi law center, you see how careful wording is used to justify it. It explained how few self-defense shootings “needed” more than 10 rounds and how many firearms from unlawful shootings were found with “large capacity magazines”. No mention of the fact that more rounds HAVE in fact saved the lives of law-abiding citizens or the ACTUAL number of shots fired by criminals, just the capacity of their magazines. Facts matter, unless you’re trying to infringe on constitutionally protected natural rights.

California argues to the Court that the majority of citizens voted for Proposition 63 which, among other gun control measures, outlawed magazines with a capacity greater than 10 rounds, and as such should be considered valid. Of course, this has ZERO bearing on the legality of this case, and that’s a very good thing.

Despite the popular misconception, the United States is not a democracy, it is a republic, or better known as a democratic republic. The distinction is critical. In a democracy, the majority rules on every issue and there are no protections for the minority opinion. If 51% of the population decides there is no right to free speech, then there is no right to free speech, period.

In a republic, there is a constitution which protects certain inalienable rights that cannot be taken away by the government, even if a majority of the population votes for it. So even if 99% of the population votes there is no right to free speech, then the law is unconstitutional and invalid.

The Attorneys General friend-of-the-court brief is much the same argument. 18 party loyal extremist prosecutors who don’t believe the Second Amendment right to a standard capacity magazine exists for the average citizen believe their opinion should sway the court. Guess what, it means DIDDLY SQUAT!! But then again, this is the 9^th Circuit, so any extremist view will likely be taken into consideration.

Where do these Attorneys General opinions matter? In your home state. These are the people who will help draft the anti-standard capacity magazine legislation and give it their stamp of approval. These are people who will lobby the legislature from within to get this law on the books. These are the people who will ensure law-abiding citizens who defy them are prosecuted to the full extent of the law as an example to others. This is YOUR Attorney General.

Why am I directing this as a warning to semi-free Americans? Because if your state has already started down the gun control path, this is in your future. Gun control starts slowly with the least objectionable, easiest to pass infringements like universal background checks. After all, who could object to something that will keep firearms out of the hands of criminals? It doesn’t matter that the universal background checks have been shown to be completely ineffective means of curbing crime or violence, it’s a toe in the door to more infringements.

While the Duncan v. Becerra directly relates only to California’s magazine ban, it would provide precedent for other western states to appeal their magazine bans, and indirectly those in the rest of the country. While this is important, I’m going to repeat what I’ve said time and time again.

It’s a fool’s errand to believe that once a law has been enacted, it can successfully be drawn back. Of the thousands of gun control laws passed around the country, precious few are successfully appealed and reversed. The best way – the ONLY way to stop them is to prevent them from being enacted in the first place. And the only one who can do that is you.

If you live in Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia or Washington, your Attorney General has already cast his vote on your Second Amendment rights. It’s time for YOU to cast your vote to stop them.

Vote wisely.

Bob

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New Mexico’s Red Flag Disgrace

New Mexico’s version of the so-called “Red Flag” law (SB5) passed the House last Thursday and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature to become law. And what a sad, sad spectacle it was. This law breaks new ground in the nation including never before seen provisions designed to punish law enforcement for noncompliance, expanding the definition of who can petition for an Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order as well as completely giving up any resemblance of being concerned with public safety. Still, if any version was going to pass and become law in New Mexico, I’m glad it was this one. Why? That’s simple. This law removes any shadow of a doubt that the purpose behind it is purely about government gun control and nothing else. Hopefully this will be what unites the New Mexico’s citizens to take back control of their government from the special interest groups.

The scene that played out in the Roundhouse on Thursday shows how little our current government cares about public safety. Aside from the live feed inexplicably going out during the final hearings, the Sheriff’s in attendance needed to be “escorted” outside the chamber on bathroom breaks. If that wasn’t enough, they were subsequently ejected from the chamber altogether. What does it say that the government of the people chose to remove the elected sheriffs from the room while this law was being considered?

Through the multiple revisions that lead to this point, the law strips away law enforcement immunity for failure to enforce these “red flag” orders. This of course is in direct response to 30 of the 33 elected sheriffs signing on to oppose the “red flag” laws and vowing not to enforce them. Also dragged into the loss of immunity are the district attorney’s offices and the office of the attorney general. Potential damages to be awarded were also raised into the millions of dollars.

Attempts to amend the law to remove the loss of legal immunity for law enforcement and the district attorneys failed. And – bear with me for a minute on this – I’m glad these amendments failed. Keep in mind I’m saying this as a former law enforcement officer who believes this is a slap in the face of everyone who wears a badge.

Too often in the world of gun control laws, state legislators buy the cooperation and loyalty of the law enforcement community by granting them generous exemptions to the laws impacting the regular citizens of the state. What we’ve seen here is a deliberate legislative smack down of any law enforcement discretion or compliance with Constitutional standards. It clearly states they will blindly obey or pay the price. The fact that is was purposely introduced and left in a so-called “public safety” law should remove any doubt about the true intent, gun control and gun confiscation.

Other fascinating additions to this law include the expanded list of who can be the reporting party. It includes the usual relatives plus now “… child, person with whom a respondent has or had a continuing personal relationship, employer or public or private school principal.” There is no definition of a child here, so supposedly any child able to speak is old enough, nor is there a definition of continuing personal relationship. Exactly how many dates does it take to equal a “continuing personal relationship”. Your anti-gun employer or principal? No problem! Keep in mind the reporting party incurs no costs to initiate a complaint – actually a reasonable thing since the ability to pay should not be a limiting factor – but there is also no penalty for false or misleading claims.

Of course, this courtesy doesn’t extend to the respondent, the person being accused of being a danger to themselves or others. Since this is a civil matter, albeit law enforcement, a city, county or state prosecutor and a criminal court judge are involved in getting the order, the respondent has no right for a public defender in these proceedings. And since this process assumes the respondent is guilty until proven innocent, fees are currently running upwards of $15,000 for legal representation. In other words, justice and restoration of your Constitutional rights is denied for anyone who can’t afford it.

Then there is the fact that the respondent, accused of being an imminent threat to themselves or someone else, to the point where their Constitutionally protected rights can be stripped away from them without due process, has 48 hours to surrender their firearms to law enforcement or a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL).

Set aside the absolute insanity of thinking that a person who is an immediate threat to themselves or others could not utilize some other form of violence (knives, club, car, chemical, hands & feet, etc. etc. etc.) to carry out their plans, giving them 48 hours to voluntarily comply shows this law has nothing at all to do with public or personal safety.

Every state in this nation has legal mechanisms to deal with individuals who are a threat to themselves or others. The horrific violent incidents that gave rise to these “red flag” laws all have the same thing in common; a complete and utter failure of federal, state, county and local government officials in multiple agencies to act on clear indications of impending violence. Simply put, the government already has all the tools to save lives but has been criminally negligent in enforcing them.

New Mexico’s Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order law will soon be signed by the Governor in what is expected to be a made for media event designed to demonstrate how this law, and this law alone, could have saved the lives of those lost to previous violence.

The signing of the law will also be our wake-up call to the fact that our representatives no longer represent our interests. By enacting a law that has ZERO to do with public safety and is only a back-door method of confiscating firearms and stripping away Constitutionally protected rights without due process or evidence of a crime committed, the New Mexico legislature has shown they are only interested in compiling with the national political party platform and gun control special interests.

Is this the kind of government you want? Maybe it’s time to vote for someone else.

Bob

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New Mexico Is Second Amendment Proud

I’m a little behind due to a bad case of the SHOT Show crud, so let’s catch up quickly.

On Friday, January 31, 2020, Second Amendment supporters from around New Mexico gathered at the Roundhouse to protest House Bill 7 / Senate Bill 5 (SB5). These are the so-called “red flag” laws that allow your firearms and Second Amendment rights to be taken away without due process and without a crime ever being committed. A peaceful crowd estimated between 300 and 1000 were in attendance to let those in the Roundhouse know they were opposed to this latest infringement on our rights. Following the speeches outside, the attendees went inside to speak to their representatives. It was an amazing day.

Since then, there have been numerous rallies and Second Amendment supporters attending committee hearings on SB5. Sadly, through numerous revisions, SB5, now SB5.5, has passed committees and the Senate. It is now destined for the House.

Here’s what I saw at the rally. A peaceful gathering of strong and independent people who are concerned about their rights being taken away. I saw a diverse crowd, some openly carried handguns or long guns, others concealed. There were men and women, old and young, just about every race you could imagine including members of Native American tribes, professionals, tradesmen, business owners and employees, local and state level politicians, democrats and republicans – isn’t that a shocker.

Of the most encouraging groups was the elected sheriffs from around the state. 30 of the 33 county sheriffs have signed on to oppose this “red flag” legislation and by my count, the majority of them, along with a number of their deputies, were in attendance. Notably, these men and women were standing side-by-side with those protesting SB5, not standing in-between the protestors and the legislators as we’ve seen in other states.

All in all, it was a polite crowd, as most groups of Second Amendment supporters are. Nobody was pushing, yelling or threatening anyone, no property was damaged, no laws were broken, no arrests were made, and the capitol property was picked up and left the way it was found. All of which is typical of Second Amendment protest rallies. It was a pleasure to be there, meet and speak to some of those involved in the New Mexico Second Amendment community.

But… what did the gun control community see? Oh, something radically different. Among my favorite articles from the day was one entitled: “The Face of Trump: Scary NRA Roundhouse Rally”. It started out with the paragraph: “It was actually pretty frightening, the guns, the faces, the signs, the words, the anger. This is the Trump army and it is scary to think of what happens when he loses.”

Some highlights:

“The Scary Underside of the US”

“Yesterday was NRA day at the Roundhouse, drawing a large crowd of people seething with anger and armed. First, they rallied outside with speeches filled with fury, misinformation, and threats.”

“I had to pass through the throng to fetch some lunch. Going out and returning, passing through these people, was a very uncomfortable experience. When their eyes caught my Retake Our Democracy button, I was met with scowls, with one guy smirking and pushing forward his assault weapon. He was wearing a flak jacket and MAGA cap.”

Others called this a rally of “Nazis”, “white supremacists”, “Trump supporters” and “Second Amendment extremists”. Some called for law enforcement to sweep the attendees at the rally as it was “obvious they couldn’t pass a background check”.

Of course, none of this was true, starting with the fact it wasn’t an NRA rally, it was organized and sponsored locally by Pro-Gun Women. Were there supporters of President Trump there? Yes. But there were also those who are not his supporters. Where there NRA members there? Yes. But there were also those who are not NRA supporters. It’s almost as Second Amendment supporters cross all political lines and all those people showed up to peacefully protest together.

Although there is one characterization I will agree with, but not in the context it was stated. Yes, the people at the rally were “angry”, but it wasn’t the mad, pre-violent, scowling, hostile type of angry the gun control lobby implies, but more the determined, motivated and empowered type of anger. Think about it, how would you feel if your natural, God-given rights were being threatened? You’d probably want to do something about it, and that’s what’s happening here.

They claimed it was all sneers, sinister and threatening faces, not a smile in the group. I want to know where the hell these people were!! I saw nothing BUT smiles and good natured, positive attitude people. But then, that doesn’t go along with the narrative of hostile, unstable and violent hordes the gun control lobby wants everyone to see.

SB5 has mutated a few times since this rally and includes more people who can petition to have your rights and firearms stripped from you as well as provisions to make the sheriffs liable for NOT enforcing these unconstitutional orders. It also gives the person who is being stripped of their rights 48 hours to surrender their firearms – so much for the immediate threat argument. The next stop is at the House Consumer and Public Affairs committee on Tuesday, February 11^th.

It is abundantly clear SB5 has nothing to do with public safety and has everything to do with finding a back door means of stripping away your rights without due process and grabbing as many firearms from law-abiding citizens as possible. It is also quite clear the illogic of all this is completely lost on those who are promoting it.

The ONLY hope I see at this point is to convince the political hacks in the Roundhouse that the ONE thing they cherish above all else will be lost to them if they vote for SB5. That one thing is their jobs. We the people hold the power to evict them as our representatives and replace them with someone who will serve our interests, not those of the national political party and special interest fringe activists.

The time to contact your representatives and let them know where you stand is now!

Bob

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Virginia, Proud. New Mexico, ______?

Last week, Second Amendment supporters from all over Virginia and the United States showed what it means to peacefully protest the Constitutional infringements being proposed by the increasing tyrannical left fringe Virginia legislature. An estimated 22,000 attended Lobby Day at the state capital, most lawfully armed. Now it’s New Mexico’s turn. A Second Amendment rally is being held on Friday, January 31^st at the Roundhouse (the state capitol building) in Santa Fe. Many of the same issues and concerns in Virginia are up for consideration by the Democratic controlled legislature here. It’s time to step up New Mexico. Will you be there?

Virginia’s Lobby Day couldn’t have been a more textbook example of a peaceful, law-abiding firearm owner protest. The vast majority of those in attendance were lawfully armed, yet there was no violence. There were individuals from all walks of life; men, women and children; different races, ethnicities and religions. Yet there was no violence. Uniformed and off-duty law enforcement officers standing side-by-side with other Second Amendment supporters, even a Hong Kong flag flying (the man holding it said, “It only seems fair. They’re holding ours”), yet still, there was no violence.

Fences and metal detectors restricted access to the capitol grounds itself due to an emergency declaration and gun free zone enacted by Virginia’s gun control governor. Citing so-called ‘credible threats’ from Second Amendment extremists, the Governor said it was to prevent a repeat of the violence in Charlottesville in 2017. Of course, the only deadly violence was committed by someone with an automobile and NO firearms were used. The only arrest from the Lobby Day came from someone violating Virginia’s prohibition on wearing a mask in public.

Virginia’s Governor wasted no time in taking credit for the lack of violence due to the de-escalation measures he put into place. Left fringe politicians went into hiding for the day rather than face their constituents and listen to what they had to say at the Capitol. Gun control groups cherry picked through the photos of the protestors to find ones that supported their narrative that this was a white supremacy rally and only older white males were in attendance. Others called the attendees carrying firearms terrorists because they themselves were “terrorized” and called for the firearms of all those in attendance to be confiscated under the new proposed “red flag” laws. It was called a racist act of domestic terrorism, locking the city down in fear while trying to intimidate the duly elected representatives of the state from enacting “commonsense gun control”. It’s as if any opinion other than the one the left fringe wanted to hear is considered terrorization.

Yet still… no violence. And not because of the Governor’s so-called emergency declaration or the lack of racial stimulus to kick off a firefight from all the itchy trigger fingers, it was because the people were there to protest the proposed infringements on their rights. Each and every one of them knew violence was the last thing they wanted. But then, that’s kind of the point of being armed. Armed citizens are lousy victims of violence since they have the ability to fight back. That’s why criminals, and politicians prefer unarmed victims.

At the end of the day, everyone went home peacefully. On their way out, they stopped and collected their trash, including scraping up stickers that had stuck to the pavement. Imagine that. A 22,000 strong group of armed protestors taking the time to pick up after themselves and clean the streets as they left. Congratulations to the Virginia Citizens Defense League and every single law-abiding firearm owner who was in attendance. You’ve set the bar on what a Second Amendment protest can be.

While New Mexico is not considering the full rash of draconian gun control measures during this year’s 30-day session that the Virginia legislature is considering, infringement is still infringement. Compromising your natural, constitutionally protected rights on one issue only makes it easier to have more rights taken away later on.

The most significant issue for New Mexico this year is House Bill 7 / Senate Bill 5, the so-called “red flag” laws that allow your firearms and Second Amendment rights to be taken away without due process and without a crime ever being committed. The accused then bears the burden of proof, and all costs associated with the significant legal fees and medical / legal experts to show that they are NOT dangerous to themselves or others in order to get their Second Amendment rights restored and firearms returned.

How much “public safety” and “suicide prevention” is being achieved when the accused – the person who is supposed to be a threat to others or themselves – is left with unrestricted access to every other kind weapon and NO access to any kind of support services? These “red flag” laws are nothing more than a mechanism to remove firearms from law abiding citizens and make them struggle to get them back, IF they can ever get them back at all.

I will repeat what I have said time and time again, the ONLY way to prevent these kinds of idiotic, non-sensical gun control laws from going into effect is to STOP electing people who are promising to take away your rights. If you are protesting their consideration, you are playing a dangerous game of catch up.

But guess what? Catch up we can! We can show the gun control politicians we do not support their gun control legislation AND we do not support politicians who try to pass gun control laws.

New Mexico’s Second Amendment rally is at the Roundhouse on Friday, January 31, 2020 at 11:00 am. If you can’t be there, write and/or call your representatives this week. It’s time to stand up for your rights while you still can.

Bob

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Vegas & Virginia

Starting today, two very important events in the world of firearms begin. In Las Vegas, the annual SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) Show kicks off. This is the industry show where the manufacturers, distributors and dealers come together to show off and see the latest and greatest products that will lead the industry into the future. In Virginia, it is Lobby Day at the state capitol in Richmond. Here Second Amendment advocates and firearm owners from around the state and patriots from the rest of our nation will be gathering to protest the Constitutional infringements being planned by the Virginia legislature. On one side of the country, the best of the firearms industry future is on display. On the other side, people are fighting for their very right to retain their firearms against an increasingly tyrannical state government. Can you guess which one is going to have the most influence on the firearms marketplace in the foreseeable future?

If you haven’t been paying attention, Virginia’s Governor and Democratic controlled legislature have been cranking up the heat on Virginia’s law-abiding firearm owners. In addition to all the previously proposed Second Amendment infringements I listed in Sic Semper Tyrannis on January 6, 2020 (http://oddstuffing.com/archives/610), they’ve added more.

Closing all private / non-government shooting ranges (an admitted attempt to close down the NRA’s indoor range)
Virginia’s electoral college votes to be awarded to the winner of the national popular vote
The governor to be elected by majority of votes in congressional districts, not by statewide majority
Increase the number of signatures to initiate a recall petition from 10% to 25% of the voters
Restores voting rights to convicted felons
Allows felons and those declared mentally incompetent to vote
Eliminates photo ID requirement for voting
Increases the term limit of the governor from four to eight years

If these aren’t blatant attempts to impose a tyranny, I don’t know what is.

And let’s not forget, the Governor has made the capitol complex a gun free zone in anticipation of Lobby Day. He justified this because of supposed ‘credible threats’ from Second Amendment extremists. He said he doesn’t want to have a repeat of the violence in Charlottesville in 2017 – where the only deadly violence was committed by someone with an automobile and NO firearms were used. Yea… I’m gonna call BS on this one.

Yes, there are people who are speak strongly and emotionally about their Second Amendment rights. And why shouldn’t they? You’re talking about a government that is trying to take away rights from law-abiding citizens. But this is Lobby Day at the legislature and the people are there to let their representatives know what matters to them. It serves nobody’s interest to do so violently, and the gun controlling elitists know it. So.. so-called ‘credible threats’ have been introduced. I have no doubt threatening messages were sent and received, I’m just saying the senders may very well be the same people wanting to implement gun control. In other words, a false flag operation. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before in this country.

A bit tinfoil hat’ish for you? Maybe. But we’ve all seen attacks on minority, religious and political sites that have turned out to be committed by the very people being attacked in order to gain political sympathy and legal action against others.

Today the eyes of the country will be on Richmond waiting for the slightest provocation for the Governor to declare the Second Amendment rights groups domestic terrorists and send in the troops to clean them out. Sadly, you can count on agitators from the gun control side to be onsite trying to make it happen.

It is very unfortunate that the best and most influential in the firearms industry will be in Las Vegas today instead of on the ground in Richmond, Virginia. If there was ever a time when the industry should be standing side-by-side with their customers and supporters, the very people who have made them successful in the first place, it is today. The timing more than sucks on this one.

For everyone in Las Vegas, I hope you (actually we, since I’m here to) don’t forget that people in Virginia are fighting for their natural, God-given, Constitutionally protected rights today. What happens in Richmond is going to influence the rest of the country in ways we can’t even imagine yet. If we can’t be there with them, let’s hope and pray for their safety and success. Then:

GET OFF YOUR ASS AND STOP ELECTING PEOPLE WHO PROMISE TO TAKE AWAY OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS!!!!

Bob

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Goodbye California

You may have noticed the Odd Stuffing pages have been silent for a while. As some of you are aware, the Mrs. & I have recently moved out of the People’s Republik of Kalifornistan. The constant increase in prices, taxes, fees and oppressive laws aimed at the law-abiding while decreasing the consequences of violence and victimization of others, combined with the virtual elimination of the Second Amendment, had become too much for us. When the right opportunities came up for us we made the decision to join the hundreds of thousands of Californians to flee the state. Does this mean we are giving up on fighting for the Constitutionally protected rights in California? HELL NO!

On a personal note, it was a lot more difficult to move than we imagined. Not only does 25 years together and 20 years in the same house accumulate a lot of ‘stuff’, it also accumulates a lot of very, very close friends. And, as the Mrs. commented while taking one last drive around our neighborhood, we grew old here.

But since we’re not dead yet, we had to consider what is best for our future. Add to the issues listed above, California’s so-called “public safety blackouts”, known to the rest of us as the protect PG&E profit blackouts and businesses being left to fend for themselves against increasingly violent criminals with no hope of intervention by the police and courts. At the same time, your waitress is being arrested for giving customers a plastic straw without asking for it, but it’s okay to leave your used syringes everywhere. Not to worry; they’ll give you more to shoot up with for free. It’s illegal to not clean up after your dog poops in public, but it’s perfectly acceptable for you to poop on the street, sidewalk or any place else you want. In other words, California is train wreck and getting worse by the day.

Our new home is in the Land of Enchantment. It’s a beautiful state, rich in culture and tradition, with far more Second Amendment rights than are available to those on the left coast. But… that doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. With a Democratic Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and majority in both houses of the legislature, you can be sure gun control will soon be on the agenda here.

While most of the people I have spoken to here agree that firearm rights are taken very seriously here, I’m sure not everyone is aware the New Mexico Attorney General signed a letter of support for California and Vermont’s magazine restrictions. If the New Mexico Attorney General thinks this is a really good idea in those states, how long do you think it will take before it’s a really good idea in New Mexico?

My observations of politics have shown me politicians have two main goals once elected to public office. Get reelected and get elected to a higher office. Everything they do while in office revolves on achieving those two goals. The only way they are going to do that is to tow the party line to get the party money. And when the party platform is to enact nationwide, draconian, do-nothing-for-public-safety gun control, that’s what they are going to do. Those who choose to be moderate and not support the gun control party line are soon facing very well funded challengers from their own party who will. That’s just the way party politics work.

So if you look at states that are ripe for the introduction of gun control laws, New Mexico starts rising to the top of the list. It will start slowly and cautiously as it always, but it will start. The top three low hanging fruit laws likely to be introduced first are Universal Background Checks (a ban on private party transactions), magazine capacity (reduced to the national gun control standard of 10 rounds) and so-called “red flag laws” (allowing families, employers, coworkers and the police to strip away your Second Amendment rights based on here say evidence in an ex parte hearing). Other more restrictive laws will follow in subsequent years once the ground has been broken. Then, it will be a slow but steady push towards full elimination of your rights and ability to defend yourself and your family.

Since we moved we’ve had some interesting reactions to people learning we moved from California. From what I’ve gathered, a lot of Californian’s have moved to New Mexico to flee the conditions there, then immediately started working to change New Mexico into the California they left. I’ve had to assure many people that while I moved FROM California, I’ll be doing everything in my power to not let the state change TO California.

Overconfidence in the current legal protections and traditions of the state is what has already doomed many formerly pro-Second Amendment states. Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada and Vermont are all examples of not seeing the change coming, and now not being able to stop it.

How do you stop it? If you think the courts are the answer, they’re not. It’s a fool’s errand to believe that once a law has been enacted, it can successfully be drawn back. Of the thousands of gun control laws passed around the country, precious few are successfully appealed and reversed. The best way – the ONLY way to stop them is to prevent them from being enacted in the first place. And the only one who can do that is you.

Even if you are in the fiercest, gun loving, Second Amendment protecting part of the state, you still need to be fighting for your rights. That means getting involved in what is going on in your home town/city, county and state RIGHT NOW. If you haven’t called or written a letter to every one of your elected representatives recently, then how do they know what is important to you? You can count on the fact the gun control advocates have been speaking to them, a lot. Do you want that to be the only voice they hear?

Your rights are in your hands. If you don’t protect them, there is a slippery slope waiting that will turn your hometown into the third world living conditions currently spreading across California. Think it can’t happen here? Californians didn’t think so either.

Bob

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