New Mexico Will Become the 12th State to Implement Waiting Periods for Firearm Purchases
Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Have Testified in Hearings and Sent Over 2,800 Messages Urging Lawmakers to Support HB 129
SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statement after lawmakers passed HB 129. The bill, now on the way to the Governor’s desk, will strengthen the state’s gun safety laws by creating a 7-day waiting period on all firearm purchases and closing the Charleston loophole.
“This is a historic win for gun safety and New Mexico families,” said Elaine Miller, a volunteer with the New Mexico chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Under this bill it will be clear that a person in a moment of crisis shouldn’t be armed with a gun – providing a potentially life-saving gap during the time of purchase of a firearm. Yet we must do more. Our grassroots movement’s work is just beginning and we look forward to continuing working with Governor Lujan Grisham and our gun sense champions in the legislature to end gun violence in New Mexico, once and for all.”
In an average year, 492 people die by guns. With a rate of 23.4 deaths per 100,000 people, New Mexico has the 6th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. The rate of gun deaths has increased 80% from 2012 to 2021 in New Mexico, compared to a 39% increase nationwide. More information about gun violence in New Mexico is available here.