In her state of the state address, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham prioritized public safety reforms as one of her key initiatives. As a result, lawmakers in the House Consumer & Public Affairs committee advanced a bill aiming to create stricter penalties for repeat felons in possession of a firearm.
House Bill 49 Increase Felon Firearm Penalty, would reclassify the crime of felon in possession of a firearm or destructive device from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony. It would also extend the current penalty from 3 years to 9 years of imprisonment for seriously violent felons.
Bill sponsor, Rep. Joy Garratt (D-Albuquerque) said the current law is too lenient…