By Kathleen Moseley
Re: Conversations with your Representatives
Gun Violence was the Leading Cause of Children’s Death in the US in 2024, according to the CDC. There have been almost 3,000 mass school shooting incidents between 1966 and 2025 (map).
Nationally, we Democrats clearly aspire to lead the effort to improve public health and safety with semiautomatic firearms and large-capacity magazine restrictions. Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin released the following statement on National Gun Violence Awareness Day last year, June of 2025:“…We mourn the lives that have been taken through gun violence, we must also honor their memories by taking action to pass comprehensive gun reform.”
Sadly, for the fourth year in a row, despite an eight-year Democratic trifecta (Governorship and both houses) and with semiautomatic firearms and high-capacity magazines restrictions in the state platform, elevated by a resolution (Firearm Safety Resolution), New Mexico Democratic legislators were not confident enough in their support to pass semiautomatic firearms and high capacity magazine restrictions, Senate Bill (SB) 17.
Contact your Democratic representative, emphasize the importance, and ask what support they need to pass this policy.
Protecting our population with semiautomatic firearms and high capacity magazine restrictions is a basic Democratic platform tenet. Below are some questions to consider asking your legislator.
New Mexico Senate Democrats made a concerted effort and passed SB17, through both committees and the floor by four votes (21-17). See how your Senator voted. Thank them if they voted yes!
The following three rural Democratic Senators voted no: Cervantes, Charley, and Shendo. This appears to be a vote from Native American and border Senators at face value, however, it merits a more in-depth conversation.
In the House of Representatives’ first committee (Commerce and Economic Development), all Democrats voted in favor except one, an urban Democrat, Rep. Anyanonu from House District 19, who voted no. Why?
Democrats on the second committee (House Judiciary) decided not to take a vote and simply rolled the bill even though all seven members of that same committee voted in favor of a similar bill two years ago. Members of that committee in 2026 included Speaker Martinez, Representatives Chandler, McQueen, Sczcepanski, Hochman-Vigil, Abeyta, and Romero.
Please contact your Democratic representative. Confirm your support for this policy. Below are some questions that might be helpful in a discussion to advance this policy next year:
- How did they vote or how would they have voted in a floor vote and why?
- Did House Democrats have enough votes for a floor vote?
- Did your Representative or Senator need to feel more support via emails or phone calls?
- If there were not enough votes on the floor to call the vote, do they believe it is because Democratic urban representatives’ hands are tied by a clear rural/urban divide?
- Does this leave urban areas stuck between a rock and a hard place, due to both an urban/rural divide and a constitutional preemption that prohibits them from addressing urgent firearm safety issues?
- Why did all seven House Judiciary members vote in favor of a similar bill (HB 137) two years ago but refuse to vote yes this year? Was it the language in the bill?
- Is there a rural Native American opposition to this policy and if so, why?
- Hunting laws restrict cartridges and magazines for bird hunting to three cartridges to protect migratory birds from mass “market slaughter.”
Why are magazine restrictions intended to protect people from mass slaughter inconsistent with the goal in that instance—to protect birds from mass slaughter?” - If our Tenth Circuit Court or a Supreme Court returns a negative decision, what would the next step be?
We need to understand Democratic votes and their meaning. New Mexico may not always have a Democratic trifecta and we need to support our legislators fully while we have the opportunity!
