SENATE MEMORIAL 28

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Shannon D. Pinto and Harold Pope and Linda M. López

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE CRIME VICTIMS REPARATION COMMISSION TO CONVENE A STATEWIDE CRIME PREVENTION TASK FORCE TO STUDY GUN VIOLENCE IN NEW MEXICO AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDRESSING THE ISSUE.

 

     WHEREAS, gun violence is a serious issue affecting communities across the United States, including in New Mexico, with a significant number of deaths and injuries resulting from gun-related incidents; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has the third-highest overall gun death rate in the country; and

     WHEREAS, according to everytown for gun safety, gun violence has risen in the state of New Mexico, with the gun death rate growing by forty-five percent between 2015 and 2024, outpacing the national increase of eighteen percent; and

     WHEREAS, the department of health found that between 2019 and 2023, guns were the second leading cause of death for children between the ages of twelve and eighteen; and

     WHEREAS, according to everytown for gun safety, firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, every year, nearly twenty-two thousand children and teens are shot and killed or wounded, and approximately three million are exposed to gun violence; and

     WHEREAS, schools have been struggling to respond to the increase in school closures due to threats, violence and school shootings; and

     WHEREAS, an increasing number of New Mexico schools have received hoax shooting calls, invoking shelter-in-place and other responses that cause disruptions at the schools; and

     WHEREAS, the lag in law enforcement response time to incidences of shootings, violence or hoaxes in rural areas is especially frustrating; and

     WHEREAS, a scarcity of law enforcement organizations, aside from the Navajo Nation police, in rural areas from Gallup to Tohatchi to Shiprock affects response times to reports of shootings and violence; and

     WHEREAS, no reliable data exist regarding law enforcement response times in rural areas from Gallup to Tohatchi to Shiprock, an example of the gaps in data that exist; and

     WHEREAS, a 2025 everytown for gun safety study found that in New Mexico, a single nonfatal gun injury results in more than six hundred thousand dollars ($600,000) in expenses related to law enforcement response, the criminal justice system, medical care, lost wages and diminished quality of life for victims and their families, and a single gun-related homicide costs more than twelve million dollars ($12,000,000); and

     WHEREAS, combined with the state's high rate of gun violence, New Mexico bears the fifth-highest per-capita cost of gun violence in the nation. At a time when the state faces uncertainty due to reductions in federal funding, it cannot afford to overlook a problem that costs taxpayers more than one hundred forty million dollars ($140,000,000) annually; and

     WHEREAS, addressing the root causes of gun violence requires a comprehensive public health approach that is evidence-based and needs to involve collaboration among various stakeholders; and

     WHEREAS, a statewide task force focused on gun violence prevention could play a crucial role in identifying strategies and policies that could help to reduce the incidence of gun violence and enhance public safety; and

     WHEREAS, a statewide crime prevention task force could bring together diverse perspectives from law enforcement, health care professionals, community leaders, gun owners and advocates for gun violence prevention;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the crime victims reparation commission be requested to convene a statewide crime prevention task force to study the issue of gun violence in New Mexico and to make recommendations for addressing the issue; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the statewide crime prevention task force be composed of representatives of the crime victims reparation commission, the public education department, the higher education department, the department of public safety, the department of health, the health care authority, the children, youth and families department, the department of game and fish, the university of New Mexico, Indian nations, tribes and pueblos of New Mexico, pueblo law enforcement and federal and local law enforcement agencies, gun advocates and distributors and anti-domestic violence and sexual assault groups; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the statewide crime prevention task force be requested to address the following objectives:

          A. to study the root causes and contributing factors of gun violence in New Mexico and identify evidence-based strategies and policies that can effectively reduce the incidence of gun violence in the state;

          B. to examine current state and federal laws related to gun ownership, possession and use and to recommend measures that can enhance public safety while respecting the second amendment rights of law-abiding citizens;

          C. to examine ways to promote public education and awareness about the risks of gun violence and the importance of responsible gun ownership and storage; and

          D. to engage with community leaders, law enforcement officials, health care professionals and other stakeholders to develop and implement effective strategies and policies to prevent gun violence and enhance public safety; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the statewide crime prevention task force be requested to create different stakeholder tables with different parties in order to define the problems, identify the risk and protective factors, define effective strategies and identify ways to develop and test prevention strategies; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the statewide crime prevention task force be requested to report its findings and conclusions to the interim committee dealing with courts, corrections and justice issues, the legislative health and human services committee and the governor; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the crime victims reparation commission for distribution to members of the statewide crime prevention task force.

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