Gun bill finds little support in area

CLOVIS - It may be little surprise that recent gun control legislation signed Friday by the governor found little support that same day at the Clovis Evening Lions Club gun show, concluding today at the civic center.

One Curry County commissioner on Friday wondered if this would be one of the last such gun shows in the the Land of Enchantment, following word that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had only hours earlier signed Senate Bill 8 expanding the requirements for background checks on gun sales.

According to a news release from the governor's office, the legislation "improves public safety by expanding required background checks on firearm purchases to include private gun sales, closing loopholes for certain sales like those made online or at gun shows."

The release goes on to say these measures will reduce domestic violence, suicide rates and injury to law enforcement - that "background checks, very simply, keep firearms and individuals with demonstrated dangerous histories separate."

Seth Martin expanded on his point that the law would instead hamper the transactions of law-abiding citizens who value the convenience, privacy and sense of community a gun show offers.

"There's nothing wrong with requiring background checks between FFL dealers, but between private party sales I feel like there's more of an invasion of privacy. It'll probably just slow down the process," he said in an interview Saturday. "It shouldn't hinder things, but they passed similar laws in California and basically all the gun shows quit. ... I do think we are seeing the end of gun shows in New Mexico because of that bill."

Only time will tell for sure, though. Some vendors at the show Friday said it wouldn't impact them much personally, but they had concerned for the "snowball" consequences of one gun control measure giving way to another.

"Those who are out to legislate guns, this is just the first step," said Dale Arnold. "They don't say that now, but it very much is a precursor step."

For Arnold, general manager at a firing range outside Clovis that already uses background checks, the bill won't require additional hassle for him specifically. He maintains, however, that expanding the requirements will place an additional backlog on databases and create delays without much real progress toward public safety.

"There are way too many guns in America to stop criminals from getting them," he said. "It's good in theory, but the people who are going to circumvent the law are going to circumvent the law."

The long and short of it, warned the Lions Club's gun show organizer, is that foot traffic will decrease and along with it will drop the fundraising proceeds they put toward children's vision clinics.

"I feel very strongly that these laws will really hamper the sales," said Joe Whitehurst. "People are concerned about losing their constitutional rights."

In the absence of background checks, how do vendors vet the recipients of potential sales? Clovis City Commissioner Gary Elliott said he's sold plenty of guns and denied plenty of other sales on the basis of talking with and assessing the customer.

"You can pretty well get an idea if a person is not supposed to have a gun or is not mentally stable," he said. "You know, you get that gut feeling."

Elliott also pointed to the majority of county sheriffs across the state who have stated their opposition to SB8 and other gun control legislation, with Roosevelt and Quay counties last month declaring themselves "second amendment sanctuaries."

Others maintained the law was unenforceable, ineffective and unconstitutional.

"I can go on the street and I can get all the guns I want," said Ed McCraw, a vendor from Lubbock. "In my opinion, if they want gun control they need to go to Europe."

Clovis' Jessica and Derek Cockrell were at the show Friday shopping for a Glock, or something like it, for their soon-to-be 21-year old son. They opposed the legislation as well.

"I like to be able to come and buy what I want," said Jessica Cockrell. "I'm into more freedom, not less freedom."