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New Mexico Organizations Differ on Gun Control Stance
KOAT ^ | Sep 3, 2022 | Faith Egbuonu

Posted on 09/04/2022 5:07:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Gun control stance ahead of November's election

Over the past week, our partners at the Albuquerque Journal have released polls on various topics affecting New Mexicans leading up to the November election.

KOAT’s political expert, Brian Sanderoff, said the majority of voters were in support of raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles.

The poll shows 72% of voters supported legislation in New Mexico to raise the age from 18 to 21 to purchase an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle-- 21% of voters opposed it.

“New Mexico does have a strong gun culture and many New Mexicans would have opposed diluting the second amendment in our constitutional right,” Sanderoff said. “But, when it comes to raising the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle—such as an AR-15, the vast majority of likely voters to support it."

Zachary Fort, president of the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, said he thinks the lines are blurred regarding age limits.

"My organization is opposed to a measure that would remove rights from American adults who are age 18 to 20,” he said. “When do we become legal adults? Is it 18 or is it at 21, because traditionally under American law, we become adults at 18 years old—you know you serve in the military? You can go to the middle east to die for our country at 18 years old, but you will have to wait until 21 to buy a firearm to defend your family.”

Miranda Viscoli, co-president of the New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, said otherwise.

“We’re 100 percent in support of it and we’re hoping it will happen this next legislation session. What we really want to do is make sure that we’re looking at the lethality of those certain weapons,” she said. “Right now in New Mexico, when you turn 18, you can possess a rifle, so all this law will do will make it so that we would raise the age of semi-automatic rifles and assault weapons—that means you can still, you know, when you turn 18, you can get a hunting rifle. This is nothing to do with that, but it’s those weapons that are much more lethal and don’t belong in the hands of an 18-year-old.”

Sanderoff said voters were also asked if they would support a measure that would make it a crime if a firearm were not safely secured from a minor.

“Yes, we need to make sure that children are taught how to responsibly handle firearms, and when people do things that endanger children that those people are punished for it,” Fort said. “But we don’t think we necessarily need a new law to prosecute people who create these types of situations and are irresponsible. The law already exists, we can prosecute people, under existing law. That’s our position on it.”

“What we know with school shootings, majority of those firearms come from the home. So, it’s a simple fix,” Viscoli said. “It won’t stop every school shooting. It won’t stop every kid from getting their hands on a firearm, but this could do a lot in making sure guns don’t end up in the law of our children.”

Detailed poll results will be released in the Albuquerque Journal’s Sunday edition.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: 2a; banglist

1 posted on 09/04/2022 5:07:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
The poll shows 72% of voters supported legislation in New Mexico to raise the age from 18 to 21 to purchase an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle-- 21% of voters opposed it.

This is why we used to have a constitutional republic and not a democracy.

2 posted on 09/04/2022 5:10:35 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: nickcarraway

Basically it’s MAGA vs. Deep State.

Constitutionalists vs. Globalists.


3 posted on 09/04/2022 5:11:29 PM PDT by TigersEye (The Democrat Party is criminal, unAmerican and illegitimate )
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To: nickcarraway
Ummm...AR style rifles are hunting rifles.
4 posted on 09/04/2022 5:21:22 PM PDT by gundog ( It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: nickcarraway

72% shouldnt be able to, you know.😡


5 posted on 09/04/2022 5:25:51 PM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
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To: nickcarraway

Stance?

Like

Isosceles vs Weaver vs Chapman?


6 posted on 09/04/2022 5:25:59 PM PDT by Scrambler Bob (My /s is more true than your /science (or you might mean /seance))
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To: nickcarraway
Having lived my entire life in suburbia I know very little about firearms. What little I do know I learned during Army BCT in '69. We qualified on both the M-14 *and* the M-16 and at the rage they once let us put the M-16 on full automatic for a couple of seconds. That was back when you could fire a full clip with one trigger pull...whereas today's version only gives you a three round burst.

I'm confused about one thing...IIRC today's AR-15,although it looks very scary to many "progressives",is a semi automatic weapon with exactly the same capabilities as hundreds of other semi automatics. Is it the scary design that causes "progressives" to wet their pants when they see one?

Just wondering.

7 posted on 09/04/2022 5:27:23 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Covid Is All About Mail In Ballots)
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To: Gay State Conservative

It’s amazing that in light of several recent federal court cases deeming age restrictions on adult firearms purchases the rats keep trotting these out.

IT’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL!


8 posted on 09/04/2022 5:35:05 PM PDT by rickomatic
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To: nickcarraway

Rights are not determined by polls. Rights are God given and in this country enshrined in the constitution. I don’t care if 99% of the population wants to disarm me I’m not giving up my (hypothetical) firearms. F…. millennials, soccer moms, New Yorkers, and ever other POS butthole who thins I should give up my rights because they’re afraid.


9 posted on 09/04/2022 5:43:22 PM PDT by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy - EVs a solution for which there is no problem)
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To: facedown

It’s not the gun it’s the kid.

I suggest folks read up on the Wichester Junior Rifle Corps.

It used to be that using firearms was a rite of passage to adulthood. These school shooting losers see it as a means of compensating for their miserable lives.


10 posted on 09/04/2022 5:44:32 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim ( )
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To: nickcarraway

I got a semi-automatic .22 rifle for Christmas when I was 10. Shot up no schools, killed no one. But my dad and uncle were pretty hard-core on the gun safety bit.


11 posted on 09/04/2022 5:44:41 PM PDT by hanamizu
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To: hanamizu

My parents gave me a youth model bolt action .22 with a fold down fore stock with a 5 round magazine. I was 8. I kept it in my closet with a couple boxes of rounds. I had access to it anytime I wanted. My dad was a Korean war vet who did a good job instructing me on the proper care and feeding of a weapon and when to use it and when to not use it.


12 posted on 09/04/2022 5:50:47 PM PDT by Texas resident ( Let's Go Brandon)
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To: Gay State Conservative

The AR style weapons look like the old M-16. The pols are too damn ignorant to know the difference between a full auto military weapon and a semi auto civilian version.

They don’t go after the M-1, M-14, or the Springfield 1903 for some reason which are much more devastating weapons than the M-16. The Marines in WW1 were making 1,000 yard shots on the Germans with 1903 rifles.

This is all political BS.

BTW, A weapon on my wish list is a 1903.


13 posted on 09/04/2022 5:55:54 PM PDT by Texas resident ( Let's Go Brandon)
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To: Texas resident

In BCT I liked the M-14 more than the M-16....and got a better qualifying score with it. As we prepared to make our first visit to the firing range the drill sgt gave a demonstration of the power of a 7.62 round by putting one through an ammo can. Went right through it. I was stunned!


14 posted on 09/04/2022 6:01:17 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Covid Is All About Mail In Ballots)
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To: Tijeras_Slim
It’s not the gun it’s the kid.

Absolutely.

15 posted on 09/04/2022 6:26:17 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: facedown

Not to mention that firearms use was usually taught by male members of the new shooters family. Dads are notably absent for most of these losers, or strung out druggies.


16 posted on 09/04/2022 6:49:01 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim ( )
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To: Tijeras_Slim

You are correct. I taught my son and daughter how to safely shoot handguns and rifles. My daughter chose to go the route of archery. Her boyfriend carries a .45 and is very good at it.


17 posted on 09/04/2022 6:53:59 PM PDT by Texas resident ( Let's Go Brandon)
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To: Texas resident

In my case it was my uncle because my dad’s eyesight was pretty bad. I carried my rifle through the halls in high school because the range was in the basement.


18 posted on 09/04/2022 7:16:26 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim ( )
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To: Tijeras_Slim

I carried my rifle through the halls in high school because the range was in the basement........

same here, it was a team sport, high school vs high school.


19 posted on 09/04/2022 7:19:18 PM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: rolling_stone

As far as I know scholastic shooting (rifle or shotgun) is the only sport that has never had an instance of participant or fan violence. An armed sport is a polite sport.


20 posted on 09/04/2022 7:26:02 PM PDT by Tijeras_Slim ( )
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