Republican New Mexico state Sen. Steven Neville plans to introduce legislation in Albuquerque to bring “permitless,” or constitutional, carry to the Land of Enchantment, KRQE.com reports. If he’s successful, New Mexico would become the 12th state to give its citizens the right to carry a firearm without a permit.
The legislation “would allow anyone who would be legally entitled to own firearms and carry firearms to do so without having a concealed-carry permit,” the San Juan County Republican explained. He noted that law-enforcement officers in his district had urged him to introduce this legislation after pointing out that enforcing the law that prohibits carry without a permit—a petty misdemeanor—wastes valuable law-enforcement resources.
About 40,000 New Mexico residents currently hold concealed-carry permits, and about one in four of those are women. Other states that have constitutional carry laws on the books include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
