Sneaky Bill Would Make it Illegal to Teach Your Children How to Shoot
A seemingly straightforward bill on firearm storage safety contains language that could prevent parents from teaching their own children how to shoot. New Mexico State Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Bernalillo) introduced Senate Bill 224 on Feb. 1. The bill states in part:
If a firearm owner or authorized user knows or reasonably should have known that a minor, an at-risk person or a prohibited person could gain access to a firearm belonging to or under the control of that owner or authorized person, and if a minor, an at-risk person or a prohibited person obtained access to that firearm, it is an offense if the firearm owner or authorized user failed to secure the firearm in a locked container or by a lock or other means so as to render such firearm inaccessible or unusable to any person other than the firearm owner or other authorized user
The fine, according to the bill, is up to $500 or $1,000 if a minor or “at-risk” person obtains the gun — a misdemeanor offense, but one that has sounded an alarm among shooting enthusiasts and family rights activists alike. Reading between the lines, Sedillo Lopez’s bill could make a parent a criminal if a minor were allowed access to their firearm unless he or she is at least 12 years of age and has already successfully completed an approved firearms safety training course.
The bill clarifies that a “minor may be an authorized user only if the minor is at least twelve years of age and has successfully completed a firearm safety training course.”
These restrictions effectively make it a crime for a parent, firearm instructor, or 4-H leader to teach children younger than age 12 how to shoot.
Translation: Parents could be fined for simply teaching their children to shoot. Perhaps jailed.
Analysis
The bill is running against the clock and is spreading faster on gun rights blogs than it is in the halls of the New Mexico state capitol.
The New Mexico Legislature — which serves a state population of around 2 million people — meets in regular sessions in January and February of each odd-numbered year. The New Mexico Constitution limits the regular session to 60 calendar days and every other year to 30 days.
That gives Sedillo Lopez’s bill less than a month for passage — and so far, according to the Legislature’s bill tracking service, it has not moved out of committee.
Sedillo Lopez is a low-ranking Democrat who cannot expect a standalone bill to sail through easily. She was elected in 2019, after her predecessor resigned during a high point for progressive activists, especially in urban areas such as Albuquerque. Not only is she a hard-liner on gun control, but she also has a record of being anti-fracking and in favor of strict controls over government lands and designated hunting and fishing areas.
Land use is a big deal in a largely rural state such as New Mexico: During Sedillo Lopez’s failed run for U.S. House, she opposed Deb Haaland. Haaland was recently appointed by President Biden as Secretary of the Interior, opening up New Mexico’s First Congressional District seat for another run by Sedillo Lopez and at least five others.
Even though a Congressional hopeful, does Sedillo Lopez have the clout in the state legislature to pass such a wide-reaching bill with less than a month to go? That doesn’t seem very likely, although the NRA-ILA is not taking anything fore-granted by urging New Mexico members to contact their state senators and tell them to oppose the measure.
Andy Hogue is a longtime veteran of legislative politics and journalism. He makes frequent appearances on television and radio shows in the Austin area, his writing has appeared in numerous national and international media outlets. He has served as speechwriter for two state officials, publicity director for several projects at The Alamo, and was constituent services director for one of the last conservative Austin City Councilmen. For fun he likes to unload 13 rounds from his Browning Hi-Power.
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