New Mexico Lawmakers Reject Bloomberg-Endorsed Ban on Private Gun Sales

Democrats’ last-ditch effort to pass a Michael Bloomberg-endorsed ban on private gun sales was rejected on Monday, bringing an end to any chance that such a measure could be passed this legislative session.

On March 12, Breitbart News reported that State Representative Stephanie Garcia Richard (D-Los Alamos) sponsored HB 50. It mandated universal background checks on gun purchases throughout New Mexico. The bill failed, and instead of accepting failure, Democrats moved to change the number on the gun control bill, from HB 50 to HB 548, in hopes of getting it through the House Judiciary Committee on Monday.

Their efforts failed.

The Associated Press reported:

A New Mexico state bill to expand background checks to most private gun transactions has been voted down by a legislative panel, ending chances for approval this year.

The House Judiciary Committee on Monday failed to endorse the Democrat-sponsored initiative designed to extend background checks to gun sales arranged over the internet or on the sidelines of guns shows that don’t involve a licensed dealer.

On February 9, Breitbart News reported that 32 out of New Mexico’s 33 sheriffs warned that the Bloomberg-endorsed gun control would have led to a gun registry.

Breitbart News has long contended that a gun registry is a necessary part of any universal background check scheme. In fact, a registry is necessary for the checks to work, whether the checks are federal- or state-level, because a government has to know where every gun is if it wants to know whether a gun is changing hands in a private sale. Those keeping score at home have witnessed the insidious nature of universal background checks in California, where firearm registration and gun confiscation laws have complemented such checks.

The same scenario would have played out in New Mexico if Bloomberg-endorsed gun control had succeeded.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.