Santa Fe City Council Wants to Create New Sets of Gun-Free Zones
Jose Nino
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The Santa Fe City Council recently considered a resolution that impose fourth degree felony charges for individuals carrying a firearm for personal protection in, or on several city-owned properties that could be used for school-related or school-approved events. According to the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, even concealed handgun license holders who carry on these premises could receive a fourth degree felony for their violation of the law.
The NRA-ILA noted that these buildings would include the Santa Fe Community Convention Center and its underground garage, public libraries across the city, any facilities — be they public or private — that students could go to take part in school activities, and any public or private facility where Santa Fe Public School interns could be placed in, which includes city hall.
Per the resolution’s preamble, Mayor Alan Webber and his fellow gun grabbers on the City Council are turning to a loose interpretation of the state’s definition of school facilities in accordance with New Mexico state law. This definition includes “any…. public buildings or grounds, including playing fields and parking areas that are not public school property, in or on which public school-related and sanctioned activities are being performed.” However, none of the provisions featured in the Santa Fe resolution clearly place restrictions on the firearm ban to the time that a school event is actually being held or school activity is occurring. On top of that, the resolution grants the city manager absolute power to establish “gun-free zones” citywide using their broad definition of school premises to encompass any facility any student might go to or be physically present at, for anything connected to school, a move which would leave countless law-abiding New Mexicans defenseless in significant parts of the city.
New Mexico is a significantly anti-gun state, as evidenced by its poor 34th place ranking for Guns & Ammo magazine’s rankings for best states for gun owners. So it’s little wonder why the city of Santa Fe would move forward with such an anti-gun measure. Such local fights still matter at the end of the day, since they give petty tyrants an opportunity to build their resumes and potentially launch their political careers.
If we want to truly move America in a pro-gun direction, we must get our backyards in order.
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