This afternoon, Wednesday, January 28, the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear SB 17, an egregious bill to ban the sale of commonly used rifles and shotguns by sportsmen and firearm owners and impose stricter oversight on licensed firearm dealers.
Use the Sportsmen’s Alliance Take Action tool to email the committee and urge them to vote “No” on SB 17. SB 17, the “Stop Illegal Gun Trade Act,” is not about “illegal gun trades,” it’s a direct attack on the equipment and freedom sportsmen and firearm owners rely on for hunting, sport shooting, and self-defense.
The Impact on New Mexico Sportsmen
The Sportsmen’s Alliance supports efforts to curb crime, but SB 17 completely misses the mark by penalizing responsible citizens and local businesses rather than targeting criminals.
If passed, on January 1, 2026, SB 17 bans the sale and transfer of commonly used semi-automatic rifles and shotguns by sportsmen and gun owners for hunting, sport shooting, and self-defense by redefining these firearms as “extremely dangerous” weapons.
Burdensome Regulations for Local Businesses
The bill does not stop there; it continues by attacking lawful federal firearm dealers by:
- Mandating video and security alarm systems approved by the Department of Justice.
- Requiring “site-hardening” of retail locations.
- Adding more bureaucratic red tape to run their businesses.
Hearing Schedule and Online Access
The hearing is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. or half an hour after the Senate floor session in room 311. If you are unable to attend in person, you can still testify or watch the hearing online. Use the link below for directions for online access.
Protect the Legacy of Hunting and Fishing
Don’t forget to share this important email with your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen. Urge them to use the Take Action button to email the committee and ask them to OPPOSE SB 17.
There has never been a more crucial time in sportsmen’s history than now to be involved and engaged in protecting our way of life. If we remain silent, others will shape the outcome. We cannot allow that to happen in the Land of Enchantment. Urge your family and friends to join you and the Sportsmen’s Alliance in the fight against the rising tide of animal extremism and gun control activism. The legacy of hunting, fishing, and trapping depends on our actions today.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing, and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square, and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
