New Mexico Sheriff Stands By Refusal to Enforce Governor’s Ban on Weapons Carry

Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said he will uphold his decision not to enforce a public health order by New Mexico’s governor banning open carry firearms.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 12, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen says he has made it clear to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham that his his department will not uphold what he considers an unconstitutional public health emergency, which placed a 30-day ban on open and concealed firearms in crime-ridden Albuquerque, New Mexico, and surrounding Bernalillo County.

“Now that we have made it clear we are not enforcing the unconstitutional order, we are going to stay focused on our mission to keep our community safe,” Sheriff Allen’s office told The Epoch Times.