New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez (D) released a letter Tuesday making clear he will not “defend” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) ban on concealed and open carry.
When Torrez states that he will not “defend” the ban, he is specifically stating that he will not argue for the ban in the two lawsuits that have already been filed against it.
Breitbart News reported that one suit was filed by the National Association for Gun Rights and the other by Gun Owners of America.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez speaks during a news conference Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee)
KOB4 noted that Torrez is concerned that Grisham’s order focuses on law-abiding concealed carriers rather than criminals.
Torrez wrote: “Given that only responsible gun owners are likely to comply with, much less recognize, your ban, it is unclear how this action will lead to a measurable decline in gun violence in our community… The data do not support the conclusion that gun violence in our community is attributable to otherwise law-abiding citizens exercising their constitutional right to carry firearms for protection outside the home.
He also criticized Grisham’s decision to push the ban under the guise of a “public health emergency,” writing, “I think it is unwise to expand the definition of a ‘health emergency’ public safety” to encompass something that is fundamentally a matter of public safety. »
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez said he will NOT defend the governor in several already filed lawsuits related to his 30-day gun ban. “I do not believe the emergency order will have a significant impact on public safety…I do not believe it meets the constitutional requirements.” » pic.twitter.com/XsgZjie2eT
– Brittany Costello (@BrittanyKOB) September 12, 2023
Breitbart News pointed out that Bernalillo County Attorney Sam Bregman, the Albuquerque prosecutor, said he would not enforce Grisham’s ban, as did Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen.
Both Bregman and Allen called the ban “unconstitutional.”
Gun control activist David Hogg also criticized Grisham’s concealed carry ban, using a post on There is no public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution. »
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is a political analyst for Armed American Radio and an ambassador for Turning Point USA. He was a visiting scholar at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and a Ph.D. in military history, with emphasis on the Vietnam War (Brown Water Navy), the United States Navy since its inception, the Civil War, and modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up for Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Contact him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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