Crowd gathers in Old Town Plaza for Second Amendment Rally

CORRECTION: This story has been corrected to reflect that State Police officers were in attendance at Old Town to monitor the protest.

Bob Hurtado had never attended a protest in his life until Sunday.

The former engineer decided to join the crowd gathered at Old Town Plaza because he felt Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public in and around Albuquerque was targeting the wrong people.

“She’s going after the wrong people,” Hurtado said. “I pay my taxes, I’m a God-fearing American and I think we should have our Second Amendment rights. I’m here for that.”

Hurtado has been conceal and carry licensed for four years and called the Governor’s decision to suspend conceal and open carrying of firearms for 30-days a “mistake.”

His opposition is just a small part of the strong reaction to the Governor’s executive order since it was announced on Friday, with many at Sunday’s rally calling it a direct attack on both the Constitution and their rights.

The majority of those in attendance were armed with a variety of firearms, displayed in the open.

Among those who were present at the rally was Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Bernalillo and Torrance counties.

Lord had announced on her X, previously known as Twitter, account on Saturday that she, along with Rep. John Block, R-Otero County, were calling for the governor’s impeachment. She said in a statement that “the emergency order violates the Governor’s oath to protect and defend the rights of New Mexicans.”

At Sunday’s rally, she said they have already filed the Article of Impeachment and expects to carry the effort forward.

“It has to go to our legal counsel first and we plan on pursing this all the way. It’s also going to depend on if we get support on the Democrats’ side and we actually might with this,” Lord said. “Because she has gone too far that every single person agrees that what she did was illegal.”

Lord’s filing is not the only legal challenge Lujan Grisham’s emergency order is facing.

The Gun Owners of America and the Gun Owners Foundation announced on Saturday evening that they have filed a federal lawsuit challenging what they called a “gross and egregious violation of the U.S. Constitution.”

The Albuquerque Police Department will not be actively enforcing the Governor’s order. That duty will fall to state police.

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina told his officers in a statement that the enforcement of this order is “state law enforcement, and not APD.”

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said he has “reservations” about the order in a public statement, and said the temporary ban “challenges the foundation of our Constitution.”

When questioned about her order violating the Constitution on X, formerly known as Twitter, by fellow Democrat and U.S Representative Ted Lieu of California, Lujan Grisham said conceal and open carry are state laws that she has jurisdiction over.

She also told Lieu if he was interested in helping curb gun violence, he could join the next New Mexico State Police academy.

Rally in ABQ Old Town for gun rights