ONLY ON ABC-7: Doa Ana County is not a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” sheriff says
In an interview with ABC-7, Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart said she supports background checks on firearm sales, in opposition with multiple New Mexico Sheriffs.
“It’s an investigative tool,” Sheriff Stewart said. “That’s the way I see universal background checks for non-licensed firearm dealers.”
Stewart told ABC-7 that she supports Senate Bill 8, which would require a background check for those purchasing a firearm. The bill has passed in the house and senate, according to the New Mexico Legislature website, and will be the first piece of gun control legislation to arrive at Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk.
“At the end of the day, I’m going to support my oath,” Sheriff Stewart said. “That is to support the laws of the state of New Mexico as passed by the legislature.”
“Second Amendment sanctuary” counties
Before the governor can sign off on the bill, 14 boards of county commissioners in New Mexico have declared their county as a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” according to the Albuquerque Journal.
According to the report, a sanctuary resolution means: “a commission supports its sheriff in any decisions not to enforce unconstitutional laws and not to use any county resources to enforce laws that infringe on the right to bear arms.”
“This resolution does not mean the criminal element will be free to do as they please,” said Sandoval County Sheriff Jesse James Casaus, as quoted in the Journal. “As the sheriff of Sandoval County, I will still enforce the existing laws and prosecute them to the fullest. This resolution assists in protecting law-abiding citizens in our county, and their Second Amendment rights.”
Doña Ana County has not yet declared itself a “Second Amendment” sanctuary county.
“We’ve had no such proposal submitted to our board of county commissioners,” Sheriff Stewart said.
The sheriff told ABC-7 that she would avoid commenting on Doña Ana County’s position until a proposal is actually submitted to commissioners, but she did say she defends state law.
“I took an oath to the U.S. Constitution to support it and the exact words in my oath say, ‘You will support and defend the constitution and laws of the state of New Mexico,'” Sheriff Stewart told ABC-7.
Stewart no longer a member of New Mexico Sheriff’s Association
Stewart also said that she asked to be removed from the New Mexico Sheriff’s Association in February.
“It appeared to be a very loose organization,” Stewart said. “It hadn’t been very active in the state. There was a person, a sheriff who said he was the president. I don’t pay dues to that; no sheriff does. There are not bylaws that direct that association. It’s a loose-knit association.
