In a rare moment of candor from the gun control crowd, a New Mexico advocacy group has publicly distanced itself from pushing a sweeping semi-automatic rifle ban, citing legal risks and fears of eroding community trust. This isn’t some pro-2A outfit speaking—it’s the very folks who’d normally be clamoring for more restrictions, as reported in recent coverage of their internal deliberations. Their reasoning? Courts are increasingly skeptical of overbroad bans post-Bruen, where the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the Second Amendment protects arms in common use for lawful purposes like self-defense. A blanket semi-auto prohibition, they worry, would get shredded in litigation, wasting resources and alienating the diverse New Mexico populace—think rural hunters, urban self-defense advocates, and Latino communities with strong firearm traditions—who see these laws as urban elite overreach.
This admission is a goldmine for the 2A community, exposing the fragility of the anti-gun playbook. Groups like Everytown or Giffords often cloak their agendas in emotional appeals, but here we see the mask slip: even they recognize that semi-autos (AR-15s, anyone?) are mainstream, with over 20 million in circulation nationwide per ATF data, and bans face uphill battles under Heller, McDonald, and Bruen’s text-history-and-tradition test. New Mexico’s recent flirtations with red-flag laws and mag limits already stirred backlash—recall the 2023 legislative session where pro-2A sheriffs vowed non-enforcement. By opposing a ban, this group inadvertently validates our arguments: incrementalism builds trust, but sweeping disarmament breeds resistance.
The implications ripple far beyond Santa Fe. As blue states like California and New York bleed cases in federal courts (e.g., ongoing challenges to their assault weapon bans), this signals a tactical retreat among moderates, potentially fracturing the gun-control coalition ahead of 2024 midterms. For 2A warriors, it’s a call to action: amplify these cracks, support test-case funding via orgs like FPC or GOA, and remind lawmakers that public trust isn’t built on confiscation fantasies. When even the opposition blinks, it’s proof the right to keep and bear arms isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving.
