Bill prohibiting guns near polling places heads to governor's desk

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Senate concurred on a bill to prohibit firearms near polling places Wednesday morning, sending the measure to the governor’s desk.

Senators unanimously reapproved Senate Bill 5, after the House narrowly passed an amendment to allow concealed carry licensees to bring their weapons to polling stations.

Supporters of the measure have argued it would help stop voter intimidation with the threat of a petty misdemeanor. The bill was also one of several Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham included in her public safety initiatives before the session started.

“New Mexicans should be able to exercise their right to vote without fear of intimidation or, worse, violence,” Lujan Grisham said in a Wednesday news release. “This legislation solidifies what we already know: Guns do not belong at polling places.”

Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, poked some fun at the House for passing that amendment, which was an exact copy of a change he proposed on the Senate floor.

Still, he applauded lawmakers for passing the bill.

“I think this is a really interesting bill, for elections and guns to be bipartisan in this day and age,” he said. “And I am proud that we just did that.”

During Wednesday’s debate on the Senate floor, Sen. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, one of SB 5’s sponsors, lamented that lawmakers didn’t do more on guns.

“This is one of only two gun bills this session that looks like it might have a chance of being signed into law,” he said. “... We really didn’t do very much this session on guns.”

But sponsor Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, disagreed, arguing having a prohibition on guns in polling places is an “incredibly important issue to be discussing” given this year’s election cycle.

“You won’t be able to basically have weapons that are exposed and intimidating,” he said. “And yes, there’s a concealed carry exception. Would I have preferred that this not be on there? I’m not gonna say I wouldn’t. But I still think this is a very important bill.”