Democrats have for a long time advocated for tighter gun control laws and criminal justice reform, now the brutal reality that these two views stand in contrast with one another has come to the forefront.
Democrat politicians in the state of New Mexico are expected to pass a piece of legislation that would extend prison sentences for those caught illegally wielding firearms, but not every Democrat in the state is on board with the measure.
New Mexico House Bill 68 will change unlawful firearm possession from a misdemeanor offense to a fourth-degree felony, this proposal would also ensure “serious violent felons” who are caught with a firearm face up to 9 years in prison instead of the current 3 year maximum sentence.
Proponents of this measure are claiming that this bill will reduce gun violence in the state, while opponents of the legislation are pointing to evidence that enhanced sentencing does not impact crime rates.
One opponent of the legislation is New Mexico Senator Katy Duhigg(D-Albuquerque), Duigg asked the Albuquerque police chief if had seen any effect on crime with similar measures.
As reported in the Source New Mexico:
Sen. Katy Duhigg (D-Albuquerque) on Monday night asked Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina whether he has seen changes in rates of gun use and gun crimes committed since 2020, when the Legislature increased penalties for those kinds of crimes.
“It’s very difficult for us to say that we’ve seen any changes or the use of these enhanced penalties, because of the fact that our courts are bogged down,” Medina said. “We’ve met with the courts. We’ve tried to see what they could do to help us get cases moving. It’s not just the City of Albuquerque, but we have to remember that the cases in the felony courts have really slowed down in the past year, and I haven’t seen a difference.”
Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) asked if there is any evidence that increasing the penalties made any difference, and if not, why are lawmakers talking about increasing them again.
According to the Law Offices of the Public Defender, the answer is no.
It is clear that Democrats are divided on this issue and it is unlikely that this difference will be settled in any way that is favorable for the 2A community. Someone who owns a legal handgun but carries without a permit is the target of laws like HB 68. All it will take for opponents of this legislation to fold is a push from the mainstream media or national level Democrats against gun ownership.
With the midterms fast approaching proposals like this are going to be more common across the country as Democrats need a win and legislation like this will serve as such.
