AMAC Opposes an “Assault Weapons” Ban in New Mexico

There is no prohibition in the 2nd Amendment for “assault weapons.” Infringement on the manufacture, sale, possession and/or transfer of such, or where they may be carried, is a blatant infringement on the Constitutional rights of New Mexicans.

March 6, 2025

The Honorable Joseph Cervantes
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee
490 Old Santa Fe Trail
State Capitol, 319A
Santa Fe, NM 87501

The Honorable Crystal Brantley
Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee
490 Old Santa Fe Trail
State Capitol, 414C
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Dear Senators Cervantes and Brantley,

On behalf of the over 2 million members of AMAC – Association of Mature American Citizens, including
over 15,400 who reside in New Mexico, I write to oppose Senate Bill 279 and any subsequent
substituton bills of the same topic.

The 2nd Amendment of our revered United States Constitution, the supreme law of the land, states in no
uncertain terms that “… the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” There is
no listed prohibition there for any given weapon, and as such, any infringement on manufacture, sale,
possession, and/or transfer made based on the method by which a firearm operates, or its design parameters, is absolutely an infringement prohibited by the Constitution.

To add insult to the 2nd Amendment violation injury, the Constitution does in no way contemplate where
arms may or may not be carried. To limit where someone may bear their arms “chills” the ability of a
ciBzen to apply the exercise of the right to defense of self, family, property, and imposed tyranny. Such infringements would have directly and negatively changed the outcome of the following cases and many like them:

• Near Raton in Colfax County on the 9th of August 2019, a hunter was charged by a black bear and he successfully defended himself using a Ruger Mini-14.

• In Farmington in October of 2021, a homeowner defended their family and property using an AR-15 from two intruders who kicked in the door. One was armed with a handgun.

SB 279, and the accompanying substitute bill would not only have allowed the animals and assailants in the cited cases above to prevail over any lesser self-defense efforts, but it would also cause the state to
establish an illegal firearms registry through the proposed “endorsement affidavit” process for New Mexico firearms owners. This “endorsement affidavit” provision is squarely prohibited by 18 USC 926(a)
and is indirectly prohibited by the 5th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

We respectfully implore you to please focus on legislation that benefits the citizens of New Mexico, and table Senate Bill 279, and any act, or bill like it in honor of our United States Constitution and the safety
of the citizens of New Mexico.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Mangione Jr.
Senior Vice President
AMAC Action