DEMING – Republican state Rep. Jenifer Jones has joined other New Mexico House Republicans in calling on state officials to stop enforcing New Mexico’s seven-day waiting period for most firearm purchases.
Jones, whose District 32 includes portions of Luna, Hidalgo and Doña Ana counties, signed an Aug. 31 letter addressed to Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Attorney General Raúl Torrez. The lawmakers asked the state to suspend enforcement of the waiting-period law following the latest federal court action in Ortega v. Lujan Grisham.
U.S. District Judge James O. Browning entered final judgment Aug. 27 in favor of plaintiffs Samuel Ortega and Rebecca Scott. The order permanently prohibits the state from enforcing the waiting period against those two plaintiffs.
The judgment followed a 2025 decision by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which concluded that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in showing that the waiting period violated the Second Amendment. The appeals court returned the case to the district court for additional proceedings.
In their letter, Jones and the other Republican lawmakers argued that the constitutional concerns identified by the courts should apply beyond the two people who filed the lawsuit. They urged the governor and attorney general to provide guidance to state agencies, local law enforcement, prosecutors and licensed firearm dealers advising them that the waiting period would no longer be enforced statewide.
The New Mexico Department of Public Safety maintains that the Aug. 27 order applies only to Ortega and Scott. The department says the seven-day waiting period remains in effect for all other firearm purchasers until further notice.
Lujan Grisham defended the law after the appeals court ruling in August 2025. She said the waiting period was designed to reduce gun violence while respecting Second Amendment rights and argued that waiting periods can help prevent impulsive acts of violence and suicide.
The governor also noted that the law does not apply to several categories of transactions, including purchases by valid New Mexico concealed handgun license holders, federal firearms license holders and law enforcement agencies. Transfers between immediate family members are also exempt.
The law was approved by the Democratic-controlled Legislature and signed by Lujan Grisham in March 2024. It took effect May 15, 2024.
No new public response to the Republican lawmakers’ Aug. 31 letter had been posted by the governor’s office or attorney general’s office as of Thursday.
Editor’s note: This report is based on the Aug. 31 letter, federal court records and publicly available state guidance. As of publication, the Democratic Party of New Mexico had not issued an official response to the lawmakers’ letter. If the state party releases a formal response, Deming News will report it as part of its continuing coverage of this issue.
John Krehbiel – Bravo Mic Communications, LLC News – John@Bravomic.com
