Albuquerque D.A. Will Not Enforce NM Governor’s Concealed Carry Ban

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman made clear Saturday he will not be enforcing New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) 30-day ban on concealed carry.

Breitbart News reported that Grisham issued her order Friday, September 8, and it went into effect the same day. The ban bars the carrying of handguns in public and covers both open and concealed carry. It applies to cities like Albuquerque, which is located in Bernalillo County.

Grisham’s ban applies to licensed concealed carriers.

The Associated Press noted that D.A. Bregman stood against the ban on Saturday, explaining that he will not enforce it: ““As an officer of the court, I cannot and will not enforce something that is clearly unconstitutional.”

He added, “This office will continue to focus on criminals of any age that use guns in the commission of a crime.”

Breitbart News pointed out that New Mexico state rep. John Block (R) responded to Grisham’s order by calling for the governor’s impeachment on X: “Impeach and remove Lujan Grisham. We even have Elon behind us on this!”

And the AP observed Albuquerque police chief Harold Medina responded to the governor’s order by making clear he will not enforce it.

Grisham’s order is facing a court challenge from the National Association of Gun Rights, which has already filed suit in a U.S. District Court in New Mexico.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.