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In
response to the recent shooting deaths of children, Lujan
Grisham, a Democrat, on Friday imposed the 30-day suspension of
the right to carry guns, either concealed or openly, in
Albuquerque and Bernalillo County in a bid to curb shootings.
The move enraged gun-rights proponents across the United States.
At a rally on Sunday in downtown Albuquerque, protesters openly
carried rifles and pistols.
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said he did not want to
endanger his deputies by making them enforce the ban.
"This order will not do anything to curb gun violence other than
punish law-abiding citizens who have a constitutional right to
self defense," Allen said at a press briefing.
Some Democrats, including U.S. Representative Ted Lieu of
California, also voiced opposition to the order as a violation
of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which
guarantees the right to bear firearms.
Lujan Grisham last week declared gun violence a public health
emergency after an 11-year-old boy was shot dead in Albuquerque,
apparently in an act of road rage. Albuquerque has suffered
record numbers of homicides two years running.
The second-term governor said concealed and open carry of
firearms were state laws she had jurisdiction over, giving her
the right to issue a civil order to address a rise in gun
violence across the state. Her order was immediately challenged
in U.S. district court by a Colorado gun rights group.
Albuquerque police chief Harold Medina said state police, rather
than his officers, would be responsible for civil violations of
the order which carry a fine of up to $5,000.
New Mexico State Police has not issued any citations, spokesman
Ray Wilson said.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay; editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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