Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has suggested that New Mexico keep closer track of hate groups and consider extending background checks on private gun sales to sellers of firearms, as the state grapples with concerns about the Aug. 3 mass shooting in El Paso. The first-year Democratic governor is convening a summit of public safety experts today at the state Capitol to come up with precautions against domestic terrorism in response to the El Paso shooting, which killed 22.
State law enforcement officials and leading lawmakers in the Democratic-led state House and Senate were scheduled to meet behind closed doors today for the discussions and a briefing from an FBI representative.
“In these horrific, horrific situations, I’m seeing members of our state and folks around the country talk about background checks that could apply to sellers,” Lujan Grisham said Monday. “Then we can track the movement of firearms.” The summit is closed to news media because it involves sensitive law enforcement discussions, Lujan Grisham spokesman Tripp Stelnicki said. “It’s an internal discussion,” he said in an email.
Authorities say the El Paso shooting suspect, who is white, confessed to targeting people of Mexican descent.
New Mexico has the highest percentage of Latino residents in the nation, and Lujan Grisham signaled her concern about the influence of ideologies of white supremacy and racism. “I would expect that we are going to do more to know about our hate groups in the state and what can we do,” she said Monday.
The governor also said she wants to discuss new strategies for responding to youths who exhibit signs of anger.
On gun control, Lujan Grisham said she’ll ask the Legislature to take up proposals in January for “red-flag” legislation that makes it easier to take guns away from people who may be suicidal or bent on violence against others. A red-flag bill won House approval this year, but it never reached the Senate floor.
Several other gun control measures won approval this year in New Mexico, after the departure Jan. 1 of Republican Gov. Susana Martinez..
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4 comments:
Regardless of what they look like or their intent.......gun grabbers are evil and do not have the interests of their citizens in mind.
Correct! elections have consequences and let's remember that in the upcoming 20/20 for President. If you sit on your duff then the next closed door meeting will be to take away your rocks.
Didn't they throw your vote to convicts illegals and children last session?
CLOSED-door- meetings to plot the further erosion of our Constitutional Rights? If this administration believed what they are plotting was Constitutionally legit this would be out in an open forum. Such secrecy has no place in a Democratic Republic!
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