New Mexico Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday, Oct. 16, that her controversial public health order banning guns at public parks and playgrounds has ended and will not be renewed. She signed the order in September 2023 after an 11-year-old boy was shot at Isotopes Park, a minor league baseball stadium in Albuquerque.
According to the governor’s office, New Mexico has made significant strides in reducing gun violence, including collecting more than 1,700 guns through a buy-back program, doubling arrests for violent or gun-related crimes, and increasing public awareness of juveniles being detained for gun possession.
Gov. Grisham stated that the work to reduce violence is not finished, saying, “This is no time to slow down — we must accelerate our efforts to protect our families. The legislature must also prioritize budget requests from our law enforcement agencies, who need more resources to continue their fight against crime.”
Gun rights advocates filed several lawsuits over the order, claiming it blocked citizens of their Second Amendment right to carry in public for self-defense.
