Gun violence deaths merit serious measure

I listened last week as President Biden spoke softly but forcefully about the most recent mass shooting in Buffalo, N. Y.

Afterwards, I stopped at my local grocery store to pick up a few items, just like the victims of the Buffalo massacre did on Saturday. I looked around at the people of my neighborhood – moms with kids, probably a grandma and grandpa, the cashiers, a security guard. It didn’t take much for me to imagine a radicalized white supremacist stepping in the door with an automatic weapon. Chilling.

While I recognized Buffalo was racially motivated, I also wondered about New Mexico’s gun safety laws

First, some statistical reminders. According to Readers Digest Gun Violence Statistics, in 2019 New Mexico ranked 7th in the country for gun ownership. We were 4th in the nation for number of gun deaths per 100,000 and ranked in the top 5 for highest rates of gun deaths related to domestic violence.

But there was good news in 2019.

We had a new governor at the helm and New Mexico began to take some steps to prevent gun violence. The Legislature, New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, and Coalition to Stop Gun Violence joined forces with a focus on reducing gun injuries and deaths.

First up: Senate Bill 5, Background checks for gun purchase. This requires private sellers and gun shows to do an instant background check. It passed and was signed into law.

Additionally, SB 328 was enacted. The domestic violence firearms relinquishment bill requires domestic abusers who are subject to a protective order to relinquish their firearms while the order is in effect.

Then in 2020, the Legislature passed and the governor signed SB 5, the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. This allows individuals, including family members and/or law enforcement officers, to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who are a threat to themselves or others.

Despite broad support from New Mexicans for these common-sense gun-safety laws, Republicans voted no on all of them except for one lone yes vote on SB 328.

In New York, they have a similar law to SB 5. The red flag law prevents certain individuals from purchasing guns. In 2019, the Buffalo shooter made threats, saying he wanted to commit a murder-suicide. He was sent for a cursory mental health evaluation. He convinced investigators it was a “joke,” and no protection order was filed.

It's human nature to want to believe this kid was joking. He now admits he was lying so he could buy guns. Ten people are dead.

I’ve often wondered if the framers of the Constitution ever imagined that in a country of 327 million people, we would have 393 million guns. (The source again is the Readers Digest Gun Violence Statistics). Probably not. The dangers they perceived were different.

Today gun violence is the danger. No one is immune while shopping, socializing, going to church or a movie.

Having taken some important steps, we can do more.

We can rebuild the state’s mental health system that was destroyed in the previous administration, creating more resources for those who need help.

While the state is awash in money, let’s allocate $15 million to $20 million to fund an Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Intervention. The office can train law enforcement, families, educators, and first responders to recognize danger.

Collect the best data possible to improve response and intervention.

Provide support to nonprofit partners educating communities and doing events like gun buybacks.

New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence and others are working hard but everyone can play a role.

Working together, perhaps we can walk unafraid through the aisles of our grocery stores and into churches.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Gun violence deaths merit serious measure