New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham implemented a temporary public health order in September 2023 that banned carrying firearms in public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque in an effort to reduce gun violence. However, the order faced backlash from state officials, gun advocates, and members of her own Democratic Party who viewed it as a violation of Second Amendment rights. Legal challenges were raised by national gun rights groups, leading Lujan Grisham to modify the order to only apply to parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque.
During the period the order was in effect, over 1,700 firearms were collected through gun buyback programs, and the number of gunfire incidents in the area reportedly decreased, although specific numbers were not provided. Despite this, State Senate Republican leader Greg Baca criticized the order as unconstitutional and ineffective at addressing crime rates.
The National Association for Gun Rights filed a lawsuit against the order, which was ultimately dismissed after Lujan Grisham revised it. Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen, a Democrat, did not enforce the ban as he believed it was unconstitutional and would not effectively reduce gun violence. Lujan Grisham issued the initial order following the death of an 11-year-old boy who was shot in an Albuquerque park.
Overall, the decision to not renew the public health order banning firearms in public parks and playgrounds was viewed by gun rights advocates as a victory, with concerns raised about its effectiveness and constitutionality.
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