New Mexico: Santa Fe City Council to Vote on Banning Standard Capacity Magazines on Wednesday

Next Wednesday, June 26, the Santa Fe City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on Bill No. 2013-27, which would outlaw the future possession, sale or transfer of standard capacity magazines that are compatible with commonly-owned self-defense pistols and rifles used by recreational and competitive shooters.  Introduced by Mayor David Coss (an outspoken member of billionaire New York Mayor City Michael Bloomberg’s national gun control coalition), Councilor Patti Bushee and Councilor Ron Trujillo, this ordinance targets any ammunition feeding device that accepts, or can be readily converted to accept, more than ten rounds.  With no exception for mere possession in one’s private vehicle, even driving through Santa Fe with a standard capacity magazine purchased from another city could put you in violation of this ordinance.

Public comments will be taken by the City Council before next Wednesday's vote, starting at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall located at 200 Lincoln Avenue in Santa Fe.  It is critical that you show up and speak against this measure.  Please also contact the City Councilors listed below and urge them to OPPOSE Bill No. 2013-27.

Instead of focusing on real crime control measures and having a serious debate about complex mental health issues, your City Council has chosen the misguided – and likely unconstitutional – route of targeting law-abiding gun owners, licensed firearms dealers and heavily-regulated gun manufacturers.  Congress allowed a similar ban to expire in 2004 on the federal level because studies showed it had little or no impact on violent crime.  Additionally, this local prohibition ignores the protections guaranteed by Article II, Section 6 of the New Mexico Constitution, which reads:

“No law shall abridge the right of the citizen to keep and bear arms for security and defense, for lawful hunting and recreational use and for other lawful purposes, but nothing herein shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons. No municipality or county shall regulate, in any way, an incident of the right to keep and bear arms.” [Emphasis added.]

Even the gun control-friendly Santa Fe New Mexican opined against this measure last month, calling it "misguided" and "an unreasonable burden" on citizens because it potentially forces them to prove that purchase or possession of one of the affected devices occurred before the ordinance took effect.  This editorial goes on to question its enforceability and why it contains an exemption for retired law enforcement.

E-mail addresses and telephone numbers for Santa Fe city councilmen are provided below - contact them TODAY in opposition to Bill No. 2013-27.

Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger

District 2 and Mayor Pro Tem

rdwurzburger@santafenm.gov

505-955-6815

Councilor Patti Bushee

District 1

pjbushee@santafenm.gov

(505) 955-2345

Councilor Chris Calvert

District 1

ccalvert@santafenm.gov

(505) 955-6812

 Councilor Peter Ives

District 2

pnives@santafenm.gov

(505) 955-6816

Councilor Carmichael Dominguez

District 3

cadominguez@santafenm.gov

(505) 955-6814

Councilor Christopher Rivera

District 3

cmrivera@santafenm.gov

(505) 955-6818

Councilor Bill Dimas

District 4

bdimas@santafenm.gov

(505) 955-6817

Councilor Ronald Trujillo

District 4

rstrujillo@santafenm.gov

(505) 955-6811