Breaking: Gun show background check bill falls short on Senate floor

The New Mexico Legislature will not send legislation aimed at curbing gun violence to Gov. Susana Martinez’s desk, after a last-minute effort to approve a bill aimed at closing the state’s “gun show loophole” for background checks was thwarted in the Senate.

Repeated attempts to amend the bill by Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, led to several Republican senators speaking until the session’s noon adjournment time arrived.

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, said the House Bill 77 is one of the few measures that he and Martinez agree upon.

“This bill will come back,” Sanchez told his colleagues. “It won’t end today.”

Read more about the outcome of the legislative session:
- At the Roundhouse — The end
- Highlights of 51st New Mexico Legislature
- Overview: New Mexico Legislature adjourns