In a recent social media post, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham claimed that her executive order that tried to hijack public health and weaponize it against the Second Amendment (not to mention Article II, Section 6 of the state’s constitution) was somehow working to reduce “gun violence.”
ICYMI: Our Public Health Order on guns is WORKING: ✔️219 guns seized
✔️439 guns safely surrendered at buybacks
✔️2,490 bad guys arrested
✔️Arrests DOUBLED b/w Sept and Novhttps://t.co/Oy2FHYDZVG— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) December 14, 2023
As support, she offered a link to NM Political Report, but she apparently wasn’t aware that the article just reprinted what she had announced and didn’t offer any additional analysis to prove her claims. So, as is her usual practice, she’s offering a lot more style than substance, offering the state nothing more than a self-inflating bag of hot air.
The Governor fails to mention that not only was the centerpiece of her unconstitutional order killed in court (banning concealed carry in Bernalillo County), but her entire approach to the issue has been roundly mocked by both the left and the right. Even public health professionals invited by the Democrat Party for a congressional hearing think she’s on the wrong track.
But let’s look at the numbers she gave to the press for them to uncritically regurgitate. They sound impressive on the surface, with hundreds of guns taken off the streets and thousands of “bad guys” arrested. But, when you look at her talking points individually and in context, these numbers are just more hot air.
Seized guns? The black and grey market in the state will quickly replace them. The 219 guns she claims were confiscated isn’t even a carload. Criminals will be back on the streets with new guns in hand in no time.
How about those gun “buybacks“? I know from talking to people who were there that only a handful of people sold dozens of rusted junk guns at the Las Cruces event before it ran out of money. No actual guns used by criminals or that would realistically be used in future crimes were picked up at these events. It was just a total waste of money.
What about the arrests? Let’s keep in mind that New Mexico’s criminal justice system isn’t adequately described as “revolving door.” It’s more like The Big Rock Candy Mountains where all the cops have wooden legs, the jails are made of tin, and you can walk right out again as soon as you are in.
In the rare occasions that cops feel comfortable actually making arrests, suspects are back out on the street almost right away, committing even more serious crimes because they know they can get away with it.
If Governor Grisham had provided some conviction and incarceration numbers to support her claim of progress, maybe we could take her seriously, but she knows she doesn’t have them. Talk privately to any law enforcement officer in the state and they’ll tell you that things aren’t gong well, no matter what the big boss says in front of the media.
In sum, what we have here is a wanna-be doctor who just slapped a band-aid over a sucking chest wound and is now bragging about the great job she’s done. The hole’s covered up, but the deep problems New Mexico has have not been addressed.
There are still roving gangs of near-homeless people scouring the state for any property that’s not bolted down so they can trade it for more fentanyl. For adults, the economics are terrible and poverty is rampant. For kids, the future is terrible because the state still has among the worst educational systems, which will only lead to even more poverty.
If Governor Grisham was serious at all, she would have spent her time in office trying to solve these problems. But she didn’t and she won’t. She’s more interested in empty grand gestures meant to appease her far left, anti-gun base. It’s just another pathetic attempt to distract gullible, low information voters.
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