Fatal shooting in New Mexico park casts pall over Legislature and its ability to contain crime

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Efforts by New Mexico lawmakers to contain violent crime took center stage Saturday at the conclusion of an annual legislative session — just hours after three people were killed and 15 injured in an outburst of gunfire at a public park in Las Cruces.

The events transformed an ordinarily celebratory day for legislators at the close of a 60-day session into a somber affair.

“This tragedy reminds us that it’s going to take all of us to continue to come together to address these senseless acts of violence,” said Democratic House Speaker Javier Martinez of Albuquerque.

Republicans legislators in the legislative minority said the state is in crisis and urged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to exercise her authority to bring the legislators back to the Capitol to seek solutions to violent crime. Lujan Grisham said she was considering it, amid feelings of anger and disappointment.

“I cannot ignore that we failed to adequately address the public safety crisis in our state,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

At the same time, legislators have delivered an array of crime-related bills to the governor that aim to enhance criminal penalties, expand the state's authority to prosecute organized crime and provide new precautions when criminal defendants are deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial.

A bill won legislative approval on a 38-0 Senate vote this week that would expand the state’s racketeering law to address activity ranging from human trafficking to smuggling contraband into prisons and cock fighting. Lujan Grisham said she lobbied legislators aggressively to deliver the bill.

A public safety law signed by the governor in February included enhanced penalties for mass-shooting threats, fentanyl trafficking and repeated vehicle thefts, while also banning devices — such as the Glock switch — that convert guns into automatic weapons.

Lawmakers overhauled the state’s red-flag gun law, under which firearms may be temporarily removed from people who may pose a danger. The update explicitly authorizes police officers to file petitions and removes a 48-hour waiting period for firearm relinquishment.

Legislators also sent the governor bills that establish a trust fund to underwrite an expansion of addiction and mental health services, while identifying gaps in the system. Legislators are grappling with public concern about not only crime but also the proliferation of homeless encampments in New Mexico.

Beyond New Mexico, a tough-on-crime approach is back in political favor, with Republicans and Democrats alike promoting new law enforcement initiatives in state capitols.

Nationwide, nearly 8 in 10 voters in the U.S. said they were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about crime in their own communities, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters conducted during the fall election. The percentage saying they were very concerned was higher than the national rate in New Mexico and several other states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and California.