Five New Mexico state lawmakers—all Democrats—have signed onto legislation banning the sale or transfer of a semi-automatic rifle, and the sale of magazines which can hold more than ten cartridges.
Senate Bill 279 is being pushed by Senators Micaelita Debbie O’Malley and Heather Berghmans, and Representatives Andrea Romero, Charlotte Little and Patricia Roybal Caballero.
The Santa Fe New Mexican is reporting that the proposed Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearms Exclusion Act, or GOSAFE “will likely be one of the most contentious pieces of legislation of the 60-day session.”
That should come as no surprise to anyone in the western U.S. Gun owners in the Land of Enchantment are not happy with provisions in the Senate bill:
“A. Beginning July 1, 2025, and except as provided in Subsection C or D of this section or Section 8 of the Gas Operated Semiautomatic Firearms Exclusion Act, it is unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or receive any of the following firearms, devices or combinations of parts:
(1) a firearm that is included on the list of prohibited gas-operated semiautomatic firearms identified by the attorney general;
(2) a modified non-prohibited firearm that, as modified, operates as a firearm included on the list of prohibited gas-operated semiautomatic firearms identified by the attorney general;
(3) a combination of parts that is designed and functions to modify an otherwise non-prohibited firearm so that the firearm, as modified, operates as a gas-operated semiautomatic firearm included on the list of prohibited gas operated semiautomatic firearms identified by the attorney general;
(4) a combination of parts that is designed to be assembled into a firearm that operates as a firearm included on the list of prohibited gas-operated semiautomatic firearms identified by the attorney general; or,
(5) a combination of parts that functions to produce a gas-operated semiautomatic cycling action.”
The bill spans 20 pages, and the newspaper says SB 270 is “modeled after a bill U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is co-sponsoring that also seeks to regulate gas-operated semiautomatic weapons.”
While the fight may not be as prickly as the Lincoln County War which catapulted William “Billy the Kid” Bonney to fame in the late 19th Century, it could spark lots of political fireworks.
According to language in the bill, the ban would not apply to:
“(3) to the possession of a gas-operated semiautomatic firearm that was lawfully:
(a) manufactured prior to July 1, 2025;
(b) transferred by the manufacturer to another party; and
(c) certified by the owner, in accordance with Section 7 of the Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearms Exclusion Act, that the owner owned the firearm and certified it prior to January 1, 2026 or received the gas operated semiautomatic firearm from an immediate family member who owned and certified the gas-operated semiautomatic firearm prior to January 1, 2026;
(4) to the transfer and possession of a gas operated semiautomatic firearm that is lawfully possessed before January 1, 2026 in accordance with Paragraph (3) of this subsection, in which:
(a) the transferee is an immediate family member of the transferor; and
(b) upon taking possession of the firearm, the person to whom the firearm was transferred certifies the firearm in accordance with Section 7 of the Gas Operated Semiautomatic Firearms Exclusion Act; or
(5) to the transfer of a gas-operated semiautomatic firearm certified in accordance with Section 7 of the Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearms Exclusion Act to a person residing in another state or maintaining it in another state or to a licensed firearms dealer.”
The newspaper referred to a December poll conducted by Survey USA for Everytown for Gun Safety, according to Survey USA President Ken Alper. Pollsters contacted 1,300 New Mexico adults. According to the survey,
- 81% of respondents consider gun violence prevention a priority for the session, including 73% of gun owners and 69% of Republicans.
- 72% of respondents believe state lawmakers still have work to do on addressing gun safety and gun crime.
- 62% of respondents support an assault weapons ban.
