Special Report

How the Gun Laws in New Mexico Compare To Other States

Grant Suneson

Published: June 7, 2021 7:00 am

As the only country in the world whose constitution enshrines the right to keep and bear arms without restrictions, it’s no surprise the United States is absolutely saturated with guns.
The country is a global outlier in private firearm ownership. The U.S. has about 4% of the world’s population but its people possess almost 40% of the world’s civilian-owned guns — nearly 121 for every 100 residents, according to a 2018 report by the Swiss-based Small Arms Survey.
The strict partisan divide over the issue means that many states have very loose gun-ownership rules. And those with stronger restrictions in place can do little to stem the flow of firearms from less-regulated states. One bill currently before the House Judiciary committee, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, would even force states with stricter gun laws to accept concealed carry permits issued in states with less stringent laws.

In 2020, the gun control laws in New Mexico ranked as the 18th strongest in the country, as the laws received a C+ grade from the Giffords Law Center. New Mexico had 22.3 gun deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020, the 4th highest rate among all states.

New Mexico has no assault weapons regulations and generally doesn’t prohibit the open carrying of firearms. Residents with concealed-carry handgun permits are prohibited from possessing their firearms at certain public places or on private properties that have signs posted prohibiting weapons on the premises.

To determine the states with the best and worst gun laws, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2020 Annual Gun Law Scorecard from the Giffords Law Center, which ranks states on the strength of gun laws and policy and assigns a letter grade.