After facing court losses, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) on Friday amended her 30-day gun ban in Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County to allow for guns in most public places once again. The governor posted about it hours later, claiming “I respect the judge’s decision on the last public order,” despite having thrown a fit earlier in the week in reaction to Wednesday’s court loss.
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I have amended the public health order to specify that you cannot carry #guns in city parks or playgrounds in Albuquerque & Bernalillo Co. I respect the judge’s decision on the last public order, but I am far from done fighting to protect New Mexicans. https://t.co/Ox2nNIilrs
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) September 15, 2023
The tone nevertheless had a defiant streak to it, with Grisham also posting “I am far from done fighting to protect New Mexicans.” Such an attitude was rampant in most of the governor’s posts, as she had continued to double down on the order. Grisham has also been facing a potential impeachment and the lack of support from fellow Democrats, including the mayor, sheriff, and state attorney general. The doubling down has come in the form of multiple posts over X that have thoroughly been ratioed.
Her most recent post before Friday’s was from Thursday, and looked to troll the National Rifle Association (NRA) for being yet another group to file a lawsuit against the governor, this time with the New Mexico Supreme Court, after many groups have already filed suit. This lawsuit asks for the court to “issue an extraordinary writ invalidating” the gun ban.
One such group, the Firearms Policy Coalition, was met with success in federal court on Wednesday, as Julio covered.
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You’re a little late to the party, @NRA. https://t.co/JbjXqSmLoV
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) September 14, 2023
Given how the order, which the governor justified as “an emergency public health order,” is so blatantly unconstitutional, it’s rather puzzling that Grisham would want to keep taunting the groups suing her.
As the Fox News report from Thursday noted, the NRA sent Grisham a warning letter demanding she drop her ban. “Please rescind your unlawful and blatantly unconstitutional orders and uphold your oath to defend the constitutional rights of those in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Until then, we’ll see you in court,” NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch wrote.
The lawsuit also underscores how united gun owners and gun rights groups are in opposing the ban. “The NRA was joined by every single GOP state House and Senate member, along with retired law enforcement, the Republican Party of New Mexico and the Libertarian Party of New Mexico as petitioners,” Fox News mentioned.
The governor also lacks support from Democrats as well, as has been emphasized, including in this Fox News report. Republican members of the state legislature, including state Rep. John Block, also pointed to a lack of support that the governor has in speaking with Townhall about plans for impeachment.
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The post before that from the governor raised eyebrows, as it noted she’s “still waiting on a thank you-note” from the state Republican Party for being able to use what she referred to as a “call to action around #gunviolence” for fundraising.
I’m still waiting on a thank-you note from@NewMexicoGOP. Way to use my call to action around #gunviolence as a fundraiser instead of using it as an opportunity for immediate action to save New Mexican lives.
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) September 14, 2023
As Block pointed out to Townhall, and which he posted about from his own account, he and his Republican colleagues have sought solutions, though he says they’ve been rebuffed by Grisham.
🔔 My thoughts on the future impeached @GovMLG’s press conference:
The governor was FORCED to scale back her unconstitutional order, but still is attacking legal gun owners by banning them from carrying at parks, playgrounds, or “anywhere families and children gather.” She also…
— Rep. John Block (@RepBlock) September 15, 2023
We sponsored the anti-crime bills to fix our state and voted for them in committee while your left-wing extremist radical allies voted against punishing criminals — leading to civilians and law enforcement being brutally murdered in our streets, including in my district. Then,… https://t.co/vqBzfrFRrO
— Rep. John Block (@RepBlock) September 10, 2023
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Another one of the state Republicans leading the impeachment effort includes state Rep. Stefani Lord. She provided one of the nearly 3,000 replies to the governor’s post, issuing a reminder about impeachment.
It’s in the mail @MLG.
It will arrive as Articles of Impeachment.
XOXO#ImpeachMLG 🍑— Rep Stefani Lord (@Lord4NM) September 14, 2023
Other than posts about the funeral for Bill Richardson, who had served as one of New Mexico’s governors, and about suicide prevention month, the governor has mostly kept to doubling down about her reasons for the gun ban.
A theme from Grisham has been to highlight the lives of children lost to gun violence, including a 13-year-old girl in July, a 5-year-old girl in August, and an 11-year-old boy this month.
Any good intentions that the governor may have had have been lost amidst her unconstitutional use of powers. Further, as Dana Loesch has pointed out in posting about the governor, Grisham has chosen to protect the scandal-ridden Planned Parenthood, which provides more abortions than any other entity in the country.
Abortionis legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy in New Mexico, and has become something of an abortion tourism hotspot, including and especially for abortions taking place later in pregnancy. Other providers also exist in the state, including the notorious Southwestern Women’s Surgery Center out of Albuquerque.
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According to the CDC, an estimated 3,942 abortions took place in New Mexico in 2019, with 23.8 percent of them being from out-of-state residents.
Albuquerque’s mayor told businesses to pay up more if they wanted protection from the crime wave his DA buddy helped to cause by dismissing cases and outright refusing to prosecute others — that’s racketeering.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) September 10, 2023
The tyrant fraud of a governor even admitted criminals won’t follow the law — or the illegally carrying under 21s responsible for the crimes she used as examples in her remarks. The “public health emergency” is what her and her party’s policies do to innocent citizens.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) September 10, 2023