The San Juan County Commission passed a resolution [on Tuesday] stating the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office will not enforce pending gun control legislation the sheriff believes is unconstitutional.
The commission voted 4-1 to pass the resolution making the county a Second Amendment sanctuary county.
The New Mexico Sheriff’s Association is planning on filing suit July 1 if the bills become law, Sheriff Shane Ferrari said. He said the courts will then decide if the proposed gun control measures are constitutional.
Hundreds of San Juan County residents packed into the county offices and spilled out onto the sidewalk in front of the building. They cheered as the commission voted. When Chairman Jack Fortner read the resolution prior to the vote, the crowds stood up and chanted “USA, USA.”
Commissioner GloJean Todacheene cast the sole dissenting vote. Todacheene is the sole Democrat on the County Commission. She said the bills Ferrari is concerned could violate Second and 14th Amendment rights are still making their way through the Legislature and have not been signed by the governor. She said she needed more time to study these bills, and what it means to be a sanctuary county.
The guns laws include red flag laws that would allow guns to be taken from people deemed a threat to themselves or others, as well as background checks being required on all gun sales.
“The main purpose of this is to get Santa Fe to wake up and listen to the rest of the state, not just the Rio Grande corridor,” Ferrari said.
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