The New Mexico chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement applauding the New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee for advancing SB 5, legislation to enact an extreme risk law in New Mexico.
“Extreme risk laws help create a way to act before warning signs escalate into tragedies,” said Kathryn Lueker Eaton, a volunteer leader with the New Mexico chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “By continuing to advance extreme risk legislation, our lawmakers are sending a message to New Mexicans that they are committed to keeping our communities safe. We urge the House to pass this life-saving legislation swiftly and send it to the Governor’s desk.”
The bill now moves on to the House floor for consideration. The New Mexico Senate passed SB 5 out of the Senate chamber Friday.
In January, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she would include gun safety legislation in her 2020 legislative agenda. Under an extreme risk law, law enforcement would be able to petition a court for an extreme risk protection order to temporarily remove guns from a person in crisis. Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have already enacted extreme risk laws, and 12 of these laws have been passed since the tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018.
Every year, nearly 250 people die by gun suicide in New Mexico, with an average of 35 hours between gun suicide deaths. In a moment of crisis, access to a gun can be the difference between life and death. About 90 percent of suicide attempts using a gun end in death, compared to four percent of suicide attempts that do not involve a firearm.
Statistics about gun violence in New Mexico are available here, and information on how New Mexico’s gun laws compared to other states overall is available here.
