Photo: Alamy
Republican members of the New Mexico legislature are feeling confident this week about a potential impeachment of New Mexico’s Democrat governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham. Grisham called a public health emergency in New Mexico in relation to gun violence, which included a 30-day ban on open and concealed carry of firearms in the city of Albuquerque, Just the News reported.
Grisham’s temporary open and concealed carry suspension has been blocked by a federal judge on grounds of violating a prior Supreme Court ruling. This Supreme Court ruling constitutionally allows Americans to carry guns in public for self-defense purposes.
Grisham’s reasoning for declaring the public state of emergency and the suspension was related to a cluster of shootings that happened over the summer, including the shooting of an 11-year-old boy outside a baseball stadium.
Grisham’s actions have brought her multiple lawsuits, including from the National Rifle Association. Grisham went on record to say, “No constitutional right is intended to be absolute,” defending her controversial decision to instill a temporary gun ban in Bernalillo County.
In response, the NRA said Grisham’s orders “cannot go unchallenged,” according to one social media post.
GOP state Representatives John Block and Stefani Lord are calling for Grisham’s impeachment, and the New Mexico GOP feels confident they can achieve it. According to Rep. Block, for the impeachment to be successful, the GOP needs “to flip 12 Democrats to our side, which [he] think[s] is doable,” Just the News reported.
It is worth noting Grisham admitted in a press conference her personal sentiment regarding her own executive order. State Reps. Block and Lord wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News that a journalist asked the governor if she thought this temporary ban would prevent criminals from carrying, and Grisham appeared to proudly answer that she thought it would not.
This declaration by the governor is partly why representatives like Block and Lord are advocating for Grisham’s impeachment.
