New Mexico Gov Who Banned Firearms in Albuquerque Says Her Oath Is Not 'Absolute'

Republicans in New Mexico are calling for her impeachment. Elon Musk called her executive order banning  firearms from being carried in public for 30 days “next-level illegal”.

But New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is defending her order, claiming it was necessary to protect “public health,” and besides, her oath to uphold the Constitution was not “absolute.”

“No constitutional right, in my view, including my oath, is intended to be absolute,” she retorted after being asked whether her order violated her oath of office to “uphold the Constitution.”

It’s true there are exceptions to most of our Constitutional rights. We can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater, for example. There’s also the “fighting words doctrine” that makes incitement to violence illegal.

But anyone who claims there are exceptions to their oath needs to be impeached. The words “oath” and “absolute” pretty much go together. And this cretin of a governor is looking to separate them because she’s gotten herself in a heap of trouble.

Exclusively for our VIPs: Dems Hate the Constitution: New Mexico Gov. Bans Gun Carry in Albuquerque

The ban on carrying firearms in public grew out of recent shootings where children were caught in the crossfire. Our hearts bleed for the kids, but just how in the name of all that is good and holy will banning the concealed or open-carrying of guns prevent kids from getting killed?

New York Times:

At a news conference on Friday, [Grisham] said that shootings have amounted to an epidemic and that the suspension allowed for a “cooling-off period” for the state to figure out the best way to address gun violence and public safety. She said she expected the suspension to be challenged in court and could not guarantee it would stand.

“I welcome the debate and the fight about making New Mexicans safer,” she said.

Gun violence is sort of like a disease — “amounted to an epidemic” — so let’s toss the Constitution into the trash. After all, isn’t that what the government did during the pandemic?

The National Association for Gun Rights has already filed suit to block the executive order. Legal experts believe the suit is a slam dunk. But Lujan-Grisham is undeterred. She believes 1+1=3.

“I have emergency powers,” she said. “Gun violence is an epidemic. Therefore, it’s an emergency.”

Huh? This woman gives non-sequiturs a bad name.

Patrick Carter, co-director for the University of Michigan’s Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, said there was evidence that fewer guns lead to less violence in an area. However, he said, there was not enough data or research to determine whether or not this ban would have an effect on preventing firearm injuries, which he said required “a comprehensive approach that blends policy with other types of interventions.”

Let’s just say it: New Mexico’s governor panicked.

Robert Leider, an assistant professor of law at George Mason University, said bans like this have been issued “when you have public disorders or other states of emergency, but most states of emergency usually involve something more acute.” He expressed skepticism that the ban would be upheld in court. “I’m not aware of any precedent for this just for general criminal wrongdoing,” he said.

The effort to tie public health to an inability to enforce gun laws is one of the left’s most cynical end runs around the Constitution. In this instance, the exercise is likely to be shot down in record time.