New Mexico’s SB 17, a sweeping gun ban targeting so-called assault weapons, is barreling toward the governor’s desk amid a firestorm of legal pushback, and whispers from Washington suggest the Department of Justice might just saddle up to defend the Second Amendment. Fresh off the state Senate’s narrow passage, this bill mirrors failed measures in states like California and New York, banning AR-15s, AK-pattern rifles, and even some shotguns under vague features tests that could ensnare your grandpa’s hunting rifle. But here’s the twist: pro-2A groups like the NRA and Firearms Policy Coalition are already filing suits, arguing it violates the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision, which demands gun laws align with historical traditions—not modern anti-gun whims. The real intrigue? Sources indicate the DOJ, under a potentially friendlier administration post-2024, could intervene to torpedo the ban federally, echoing their smackdown of similar overreaches in Illinois.
Don’t sleep on the implications for the 2A community—this isn’t just a New Mexico dust-up; it’s a bellwether for red-state resistance in blue strongholds. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, fresh from her emergency public health orders suspending concealed carry (later gutted by courts), is itching to sign, but federal eyes could force her hand. If DOJ rides in, it signals a seismic shift: Biden’s ATF might be reined in, prioritizing Bruen’s clarity over Garland’s ghost-gun crusades. For gun owners nationwide, victory here blunts the assault weapons ban revival Democrats are banking on post-midterms, preserving the most popular rifle in America. Stay vigilant—file your amicus briefs, hit the range, and watch Santa Fe squirm as constitutional cavalry arrives.
The ripple effects? A win emboldens challenges to mag bans in Oregon and Colorado, potentially cascading to dismantle patchwork state tyrannies. Fail, and it greenlights copycats from Virginia to Minnesota. Either way, SB 17 exposes the fragility of gun-grabber logic in a post-Bruen world: no historical analogue exists for banning arms in common use, as Heller affirmed. 2A warriors, this is your Alamo—rally the states’ attorneys general, flood the dockets, and remind bureaucrats that the right to keep and bear arms isn’t negotiable. Justice may be blind, but it’s armed and ready.
