SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – A proposal to require a seven-day waiting period in order to buy a gun is headed to the governor’s desk. It is the first of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s priority gun bills to clear both houses of the legislature.
$10.2B budget passes New Mexico Senate, heads back to House for final approval
The hotly debated bill bounced back and forth between the House and Senate in recent days, as lawmakers tweaked the proposal. In the Senate , the latest changes added groups who would not be subject to the waiting period including anyone with a concealed carry permit or a federal firearms license. That’s in addition to the exemption for someone who transfers ownership of a gun to an immediate family member.
Everyone else would have to wait the full week after purchasing a gun, to take it home and it could take longer if the background check has not come back.
Sponsors have said the goal is to provide a “cooling off period,” for people who may be buying guns to harm themselves or others.