If you click on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s website, you’ll be reminded that June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month. According to the Everytown for Gun Safety website (everystat.org), “New Mexico has the 5th highest societal cost of gun violence in the United States, at $3,133 per resident per year, costing $6.6 billion each year, of which $141.8 million is paid by taxpayers”.
Thank you, Governor, for bringing this issue to the forefront on your website! This is obviously a cost we can’t afford, and it is in all our best interests to do something about it. Just think of what this wasted money could do to improve our health and wellbeing!
Gun violence is tragically cutting short the lives of too many of our children (it is currently the leading cause of death of children and teens, as we have heard from numerous data sources). New Mexico also has the 5th highest rate of suicide and attempted suicide by gun (everystat.org). We’ve all seen the depressing statistics, but we have not seen the herculean effort on the part of our politicians that is needed to address the societal and behavioral problems that lead to this violence.
Honest efforts to enact evidence-based, common sense, responsible gun ownership and gun safety laws have been thwarted in the Legislature by fears of backlash from the gun lobby, despite the fact that the majority of people favor enacting such measures! Meanwhile, our children are fearful of going to school and other public places because of the news we see in the headlines every day about mentally unstable people wielding guns and cutting short the lives of innocent victims.
We need to examine our values and take bold steps to protect our children and our precious quality of life in this beautiful State of ours. Please tell the Governor and your legislators to enact meaningful gun violence prevention legislation now! The Santa Fe Chapter of the National Organization for Women is making gun violence prevention a priority for 2023-24. Please join us in taking the courageous steps needed to prevent these senseless deaths and injuries. Just a few of the measures that could help stem the tide of gun deaths and injuries are as follows:
Provide funding for gun violence prevention research and education programs;
Raise the age to legally purchase an automatic or semi-automatic weapon to 21;
Impose a waiting period before allowing the purchase of any firearm;
Amend our current Red Flag Law (Extreme Risk Protection Order Act) to make it easier and safer for law enforcement to use;
Limit ammunition magazines to no more than 10 rounds;
Promote safe storage of firearms to keep guns out of the hands of children; and
Promote firearms training that doesn’t provoke fear and teach people to shoot first and ask questions later.
Join conversations in your communities about how to solve the problem of gun violence, and speak up to hold our representatives in office accountable for carrying out the will of the people. We can’t afford not to!
July 2023
Letter to the Editor
Santa Fe New Mexican
Judy Kowalski, Santa Fe NOW