New Mexico Sheriffs Stand Up for Gun Rights

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is angry at 29 sheriffs for standing up for their constituents’ gun rights. These 29 county sheriffs signed resolutions opposing gun control coming from the Santa Fe. Certain bills such as “red flag” gun confiscation orders and universal background checks have caused these sheriffs to rise in opposition. By signing these “sanctuary” resolutions, sheriffs are not compelled to enforce unconstitutional gun control laws. These resolutions are molded after “Second Amendment Preservation Ordinances’ that have been implemented in certain parts of Oregon as a response to gun control. Grisham took advantage of a tweet storm to ridicule this growing gun rights movement in New Mexico: “A few law enforcement officers in this state have been making noise about how they won’t enforce gun safety measures because they don’t like them. That’s not how laws work, of course, and it’s not how oaths of office work either." Channeling the NRA boogieman, Grisham scoffed at these resolutions and saw them as "NRA propaganda, rogue sheriffs throwing a childish pity party or bad-faith critics” and vowed to continue pushing for gun control. On the other hand, Mike Herrington, Chaves County Sheriff, held his ground in the face of this gun control onslaught: "I take an oath to uphold the constitution, and I enforce all lawful laws that do not infringe on my constitutional rights.” So-called “universal background checks” are egregious gun rights violations. Given the nature of government growth, the establishment of enhanced background checks makes de facto gun registration a reality in certain anti-gun states. Not only that, these laws are not effective in reducing crime. They also make it more expensive for groups like minorities and the poor to acquire firearms. The local “nullification” approach New Mexico is taking represents a viable strategy for gun owners who live in monolithically anti-gun states. In these states, political power is mostly concentrated in major urban centers while rural areas become a political afterthought. Nullification resolutions give rural areas a voice in political matters and allow them to express political dissent against the urban status quo. All in all, rural areas across the nation should follow New Mexico’s example and adopt similar resolutions against their politically aloof state legislatures. When dealing with non-stop government growth, silence is consent.