Two Republican members of the New Mexico State House of Representatives have called for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to be impeached over her decision to temporarily suspend open and concealed carry across Albuquerque and the surrounding Bernalillo County.
Rep. Stefani Lord and John Block announced on Saturday the governor’s move constitutes an “abhorrent attempt at imposing a radical, progressive agenda on an unwilling populous.”
Gov. Grisham made the move on Thursday citing recent gun-related deaths, including the shooting and killing of an 11-year-old boy outside a minor league baseball stadium earlier in the week.
The suspension of open and concealed carry was classified as an emergency public health order, which the two Republicans are accusing the governor of using to force a “radical, progressive agenda” on the people of New Mexico.
In a statement, Lord said, “When New Mexicans are afraid to be in crowds, to take their kids to school, to leave a baseball game — when their very right to exist is threatened by the prospect of violence at every turn — something is very wrong.”
The National Association for Gun Rights and a resident of Albuquerque, Foster Haines, have since announced plans to file a lawsuit against Gov. Grisham and New Mexico Secretary of Health Patrick Allen, saying the emergency order was unconstitutional.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Lord referred to the governor as a “rogue governor” and that she was “supposed to be protecting and defending the rights of New Mexico, she can’t just raise her hand one day and say, I promise to uphold this oath and promised to protect the people of New Mexico and the Constitution, and then just one day decide, oh, just kidding.”
Block agreed and said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “there is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.”
The move has also caused outrage among other law makers in the U.S.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. said on X, “I support gun safety laws. However, this order from the Governor of New Mexico violates the U.S. Constitution. No state in the union can suspend the federal Constitution. There is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.”
David Hogg, who advocates for stricter gun laws, also said on X, “I support gun safety but there is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.”
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen issued his own criticism, saying in a statement that while he understands the urgency, “the temporary ban challenges the foundation of our constitution, which I swore an oath to uphold.”
While Gov. Grisham does not seem to be backing down, the pressure to reverse her decision is mounting. Whether or not the impeachment process will go forward is yet to be determined.
