Liberal New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent gun ban has been met with fierce pushback — even from members of her own party.
Lujan Grisham suspended open and concealed carry permits in Albuquerque and surrounding regions for a minimum of 30 days, beginning Sept. 8.
The ban reportedly is in response to a spike in gun-related incidents in those cities — some involving youth. Interestingly, those incidents did not involve citizens with proper open and concealed carry permits.
Lujan Grisham claimed she had the authority to impose the ban under an “emergency health order.”
In a surprising post, California Democratic congressional Rep. Ted Lieu noted: “No state … can suspend the federal Constitution.”
“I support gun safety laws,” Lieu wrote. “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.”
Also pushing back against the ban is liberal gun control activist David Hogg, whom Fox News described as a “liberal gun control activist.” Hogg agreed with Lieu and noted that Lujan Grisham’s rationale in imposing the ban would not hold up in court.
Hogg posted: “I support gun safety but there is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.”
Seeking to mitigate negative fallout from the ban, Lujan Grisham’s press secretary Caroline Sweeney told Fox News Digital on Sunday the ban “does not suspend the Constitution but instead state laws over which the governor has jurisdiction.”
Many do not agree with Sweeney’s assessment.
Sweeney said: “The governor is looking for proactive partners who will bring solutions to the table – not naysayers who have no real answers to the gun violence epidemic we are faced with.”
The press secretary added: “[Lujan Grisham] was elected to serve the people of New Mexico, and not a day goes by that she doesn’t hear from a constituent asking for more to be done to curb this horrific violence. If Ted Lieu is so interested in addressing this issue, we invite him to join our next police academy class in January.”
Lujan Grisham swiped at Lieu’s criticism, posting on X, the site formally known as Twitter: “Hey Ted, conceal and open carry are state laws that I have jurisdiction over. If you’re really interested in helping curb gun violence, I’d welcome you to join our next police academy class.”
Conservatives and Second Amendment advocates were quick to criticize Lujan Grisham’s gun ban and highlighted the pushback the governor is receiving from her own party.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) mocked Grisham, writing, “wow. wow. wow.”
New Mexico Republican Reps. Stefani Lord and John Block are calling for Lujan Grisham’s impeachment for her “abhorrent attempt at imposing a radical” and unconstitutional suspension of the Second Amendment.
Lord said: “I am calling on counsel to begin the impeachment process against Governor Grisham.”
He continued: “This is an abhorrent attempt at imposing a radical, progressive agenda. … Rather than addressing crime at its core, Governor Grisham is restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners. Even Grisham believes this emergency order won’t prohibit criminals from carrying or using weapons; a basic admission that this will only put New Mexicans in danger as they won’t be able to defend themselves from violent crime.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.