NM Sheriff: We Won’t Enforce Governor’s Amended Concealed Carry Ban

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen, who refused to enforce New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) original order banning concealed carry, has made it clear his office will not enforce her amended order either.

Breitbart News reported that Grisham announced her original ban on carrying a handgun, openly or concealed, on September 8, 2023. The ban also applied to concealed carry permit holders who carry a gun for self-defense.

On September 11 Breitbart News noted that Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen described the ban as “unconstitutional” and made clear that he and his deputies would not enforce it.

On September 13 U.S. District Judge David Herrera Urias, a Joe Biden appointee, issued a temporary restraining order against Grisham’s (D) concealed carry ban. Grisham responded by amending her ban so that it only applies to parks and playgrounds in larger cities, such as Albuquerque.

Judge Urias agreed to allow the ban to stand after Grisham amended it, but Sheriff Allen is making clear he and his deputies will still not enforce it.

KUNM pointed out that Sheriff Allen was asked if the amended ban is enforceable and if it would reduce gun violence. His response was, “No and no.”

Allen added, “It wouldn’t make a difference because, again, you’re just going after law-abiding citizens with firearms. And it does nothing to drive down gun crime or any other crime — whether it’s at a playground or somewhere else. It’s not common sense to me at all.”

RELATED — WATCH: AWR Hawkins Explains the Value of Concealed Carry Permits

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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.