Where is the line between protection and infringement? That question defined weeks of debate amongst lawmakers. 

Senate Bill 17 would have prohibited the sale of extremely dangerous weapons and requires gun dealers to install video surveillance and alarm systems, maintain detailed sales records accessible to law enforcement, report multiple firearm purchases and ensure employees are at least 21, trained and background checked. 

The proposal was part of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public safety agenda for the short 30-day legislative session. 

New Mexico has one of the highest gun death rates in the nation, and firearm deaths rose 45% from 2015 to 2024, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. And lawmakers on both sides agreed the issue is urgent but they remained deeply divided on how to address it.  

A legislative analysis noted that SB17 could have created additional operational costs for multiple state agencies tasked with implementing and enforcing its provisions. 

One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, said the legislation responded to the 2023 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) data showing that in New Mexico, 78% of guns used in crimes were originally purchased from Federal Firearms Licensees.

“When we look at the data, the majority of crimes occurring in New Mexico happen with guns sourced by legal sellers,” Romero said. 

She argued the bill would have held negligent sellers accountable by requiring stronger security and better training to identify suspicious purchases. Romero pointed to cases where individuals bought the same firearm “hundreds of times,” which she said signals trafficking. 

“This is just a safety mechanism for consumers,” she said. “We want to know that the folks selling these guns are held to account and that there is a standard.”

Romero emphasized that the bill did not infringe on Second Amendment rights.

“This has nothing to do with the right to bear arms,” she said. “This is about the safety and security of how one obtains a firearm. You can have your right to bear arms 100% if you go through the checks and balances.”

She added that 2025 polling sponsored by Everytown from SurveyUSA shows broad public support for restricting assault-style weapons. 65% of voters support a ban on the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

For educators, the debate is tied directly to student safety. Bethany Jarrell, President of the National Education Association of New Mexico and a classroom teacher for 20 years, said the bill aligned with what teachers see daily. 

“We see the trauma that our students experience when there’s gun violence in our neighborhood,” Jarrell said. “There’s a trauma that stops any education and learning, and that doesn’t end when the lockdown ends.”

Jarrell recalls a lockdown at Alamogordo High School last year, an experience she says left a lasting negative effect on students. 

“Students, when they don’t feel safe in their learning environment, you’re not able to get back on track with learning,” she said. 

Jarrell stressed that educators supported this bill because it focused on keeping guns out of the hands of people who should not have them, not restricting lawful ownership. 

“We are not moving to take guns away from law-abiding citizens,” she said. “This is about keeping more guns off the streets, out of the hands of criminals and keeping our children safe.”

She noted that gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1-19 in the United States, according to findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

At Nemesis Firearms in Los Lunas, salesman Justin Humphries said the bill would have fallen hardest on small family-run shops like his. 

Humphries argued that many of the bill’s requirements already exist, including background check forms that must be kept indefinitely and mandatory reporting of multiple firearms purchases. Additional restrictions, he said, would deter customers. 

“All they are doing is making it harder for law-abiding citizens. It affects us as a small business,” he said. 

Instead of new regulations on dealers, Humphries said lawmakers should focus on harsher penalties for repeat offenders. 

“A felon, they’re not going to come in here and try to buy a firearm and think they’re going to leave with it,” he said.  “They’re buying it on the street. They’re stealing and stuff like that. That’s where we need to get stricter laws.”

Given the intense debate, SB17 failed. The bill’s outcome highlights the political tension around gun legislation in New Mexico.

The urgency of rising gun violence collides with constitutional rights, making the stakes clear. 

“Folks are terrified to go to normal places anymore; school, church, parks,” Romero said. “We need every tool in our toolbox to keep people safe.”

As lawmakers prepare for future sessions, the fate of SB 17 may foreshadow just how far New Mexico is willing, or unwilling, to go in reshaping gun laws.