On Friday, New Mexico lawmakers took the first steps to ban the enforcement of President Obama's proposed gun control laws in their state. According to a report yesterday from the Albuquerque Journal, state legislators have submitted a bill that would make it illegal for any government official or firearms dealer to enforce federal gun laws in New Mexico. New Mexico is the latest state to join local jurisdictions across the nation staunchly opposing national gun control legislation.
See and add to the complete list of defiant, pro-Second Amendment sheriffs here.
The Albuquerque Journal says that Republican legislator Nora Espinoza introduced the bill yesterday, which has been co-sponsored by ten other New Mexico legislators. If passed, the law would make it a third degree felony for federal or state agents to restrict, register or seize firearms under color of federal law. The protections of the bill would apply assault weapons and high capacity magazines, which the White House seeks to ban, as well as semi-automatic handguns. The bill would also require the New Mexico Attorney General to defend any state resident charged by the federal government with violation of federal gun laws.
With the introduction of the bill, New Mexico joins the ranks of governors, lawmakers and sheriffs nationally who want to make restrictive federal gun control legislation unenforceable.
Fox News reported on Thursday that Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant asked his state's legislature to criminalize the enforcement of any Presidential gun control orders that violate the Second Amendment. According to that same report, Tennessee Rep. Joe Carr working on a bill to make it a state crime for federal agents to enforce any federal ban on firearms or ammunition. Similarly, the Wyoming the legislature is considering a bill to make federal limitations on guns unenforceable.
Fox News and local television station KMTR also reported on Thursday that numerous Oregon sheriffs promised their constituents that there would be no enforcement of new federal gun bans in their counties. These sheriffs included Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson, Crook County Sheriff Jim Hensley and Coos County Sheriff Craig Zanni.
NBC News reported Thursday that in Kentucky, Jackson County Sheriff Denny Peyman vowed he would not enforce the President's gun control measures and that he also plans to resist federal agents from doing so. Citing state sovereignty, the Sheriff said in a videotaped press conference, the federal government will "never pull guns from Jackson Co."
Also on Thursday, NewsMax reported that Pine County Sheriff Robin Cole of Minnesota said he would refuse to enforce any federal laws he felt violated the Second Amendment, while in Alaska and Utah, Republican lawmakers prepared a bill that would exempt the state from federal gun laws.
Local television stations WHNT in Madison County, Alabama, WPTV in Martin County, Florida, and KLTV in Smith County, Texas also reported earlier in the week that their respective local sheriffs would reject new, restrictive federal gun control.
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