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Committee tables constitutional‑carry bill after split vote
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Summary
Representative Block’s bill to eliminate the state concealed‑carry permit requirement was tabled by the Judiciary Committee after debate over public safety, equity and enforcement; opponents and supporters exchanged evidence and concerns before a 4‑2 vote to table the measure.
Representative Block introduced House Bill 83, which would remove the requirement that a person hold a conceal/carry permit to carry a firearm in New Mexico and allow adults 18 and older to carry without a state permit. The sponsor framed the change as restoring a constitutional right and noted more than two dozen states already permit permitless or “constitutional” carry.
Opposition testimony urged caution. A public commenter recalled a campus‑area mass shooting from 1991 and told the committee she opposed removing permit checks. Students and gun‑violence prevention groups from the University of New Mexico testified that the measure could increase the unpredictability of encounters and raised concerns about public safety on campuses and in communities.
Supporters, including gun‑rights instructors and several law‑abiding gun owners, argued permit requirements create economic and practical barriers for low‑income and disabled residents and that removing the permit would not remove criminal prohibitions against felons or those otherwise prohibited from possessing firearms. Supporters also noted that a permit process would remain available for reciprocity with other states for travelers who want formal documentation.
After extended questioning about whether permitless carry would increase gun crime, equity for low‑income residents and law‑enforcement impacts, a motion to table the bill carried on a 4‑2 roll call (representatives voting to table: Romero, Thompson, Vice Chair, Chair; Block and Lord opposed). The vote tabled HB83 in committee.
