Everytown for Gun Safety gave $400,000 to New Mexico Democrats

BY STEVE TERRELLThe New Mexican Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun-control advocacy group affiliated with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, contributed nearly $400,000 to New Mexico Democrats and Democrat-friendly political action committees in last year’s election. As the 2019 legislative session nears its end -- marked by gun-control legislation that has incensed some New Mexicans, especially in rural areas -- these big campaign bucks may play into gun-control opponents’ narrative about an out-of-state billionaire riding roughshod over gun owners by throwing money around. On the other side of this divisive issue, the National Rifle Association spent only a fraction of Everytown’s amount. According to the Institute on Money in Politics, the NRA gave slightly more than $21,000 to New Mexico candidates last year. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham a week ago signed Senate Bill 8, which requires background checks for most firearms purchasers. Supporters, who made the legislation a priority, said the new law will help keep guns out of the hands of people barred from owning firearms. But opponents argue that the law will do little to prevent crime and will infringes on Second Amendment rights of gun owners. Asked for comment about the $11,000 in contributions to Lujan Grisham, Tripp Stelnicki, a spokesman for the governor, said in an email Wednesday that Everytown is “a good organization and what they fight for is not controversial.” Republicans have announced they will circulate petitions seeking to put a proposal for repealing the law to a statewide vote. House Republican Leader Jim Townsend of Artesia announced Monday that he submitted a proposed petition to the Secretary of State’s Office that would, if enough people sign, put a question on the next general election ballot asking to repeal the law. The Secretary of State must approve the petitions before they

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