What has just happened in New Mexico is what anyone with two working brain cells could see was coming back in 2020 and 2021. Various state governors used “Public Health Emergency” declarations so that they could rule by fiat. This resulted in the removal of constitutional and legislatively enacted rights. People were being conditioned to this approach to governance.
The governor of New Mexico, Michelle Grisham, has declared gun possession unlawful. Grisham has done under the auspices of a “Public Health Emergency.” Residents of Albuquerque will become exposed to fines ranging up to $5,000 if they found to be carrying either open or concealed.
(Via AP) – ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday issued an emergency public health order that suspends the open and permitted concealed carry of firearms in Albuquerque for 30 days in the midst of a spate of gun violence.
The Democratic governor said she is expecting legal challenges but felt compelled to act in response to gun deaths, including the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy outside a minor league baseball stadium this week.
This is a blatant attempt to end the right of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. The “locked gun” provisions of this order are in direct conflict with the Heller decision of the Supreme Court. In 2022 the Supreme Court affirmed the right to carry outside the home in a decision involving gun laws in New York. This approach by Grisham was tried in New Orleans after Katrina. Eventually this too was ruled unconstitutional.
Clearly Grisham has overstepped her authority. But this is where the Left is headed. They will try to use public health emergency laws to take away people’s rights. Here it is guns in New Mexico. However, the same idea has been floated in Washington DC a while back. Democrats had been strongly recommending that Biden do the same thing.
People in Washington have also been floating the idea of using “Public Health Emergency” laws to declare a public health emergency over global warming. If Biden were to do this, then all economic activity would come under the direct control of the government.
The Left used the COVID scam to trial the taking away of people’s inalienable rights. And some governors, notably New York, Michigan and California were reluctant to relinquish those powers. In New York, the legislature actually had to pass a bill to do so.
This is the current strategy of the Left. The Constitution may be suspended, whole or in part, for anything related to ”health.’ Guns are now related to health. And climate change. And Hurtful Speech. And cars. And gas stoves. Ceiling fans. Lawn tools. Alcohol. And of course, novel colds and flus.
Literally everything can be said to be health-related.
New Mexico is the beta test site. This is a trial balloon to see what they can get away with. There is zero chance this is an independent decision by the New Mexico governor. This is being coordinated by the people who run the White House.
Taking this order to its logical conclusion, a citizen in Albuquerque who is found to be carrying is now defined as a domestic terrorist. And that brings us to Biden’s actions on Thursday.
The White House has extended the national emergency that was declared in the aftermath of 9/11.
White House – […] “The actions of persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001, as amended, and the measures adopted to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond September 23, 2023. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism declared in Executive Order 13224, as amended.”
Don’t we have legislation that covers whatever is needed? Why is an emergency declaration still needed?
We all know why. The Left wants to paint anyone who disagrees with them as domestic terrorists.