Governor's Emergency Order Causes County Commissioner to Leave Democratic Party

SEP. 11, 2023 - It was clear during the interview that Commissioner Sam Schropp was frustrated with the recent decision by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. On the same date as Commissioner Schropp's interview, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico criticized the governor's decision as simplistic, ineffective, and a possible privacy violation. Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto also criticized the governor's order as ineffective.

"Historically, this kind of approach leads to the over-policing of our communities, racial profiling, and increased misery in the lives of already marginalized people. Instead, the governor should be following evidence-based solutions such as meaningful diversion and violence intervention programs and addressing the root causes of violence. The order also raises legitimate and pressing concerns about New Mexicans' privacy," wrote ACLU-NM Litigation Manager Lalita Moskowitz.

Mountainair Mayor Peter Nieto released a statement on Facebook on September 10, 2023, regarding Governor Lujan Grisham's order.

The Order by the Governor of a 30-day suspension of concealed, open carry in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County makes zero logical sense.
I don't often agree with the analogy that law-abiding citizens get punished for the acts of criminals. However, this order is exactly that. The guy that killed an 11-year-old due to road rage is an evil person. This order would have not prevented that incident and will not prevent future incidents.
I am absolutely on the side of having sensible gun laws and that will never change, but this order is nothing more than a "reaction" order that will do nothing to prevent actual gun violence, whether that be in the next 30 days or ever.

Schropp's response to the governor's emergency public health order is grounded in federal law. Citing Heller v. District of Columbia, 554 US 570 (2008), Commissioner Schropp said that the US Supreme Court would not uphold Lujan Grisham's public health order. Schropp said that the governor had "kneecapped every Democrat in the state running for office. The only way I am an effective servant of the public is to change my party to hold the confidence of the people of the third district [of Torrance County]." In the Heller decision, Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for a 5-4 majority, said that the 2nd Amendment would be violated by a law prohibiting the carrying of handguns and requiring weapons to be stored at home in a non-functional state. Instead, Scalia wrote, the intention of the 2nd Amendment was to require the state to allow individuals to keep and carry firearms outside the scope of being a member of the US Armed Forces for the purposes of confronting an aggressor.

Schropp explained that he would be changing his party affiliation from Democrat to Independent on September 12, 2023. Schropp said he also intended to resign from the Democratic Party of Torrance County. Said Commissioner Schropp, "I feel like I have been making incremental progress here and beginning to set the standard by which the Third District can become a full partner in Torrance County. But, with a 'D' behind my name, the governor has put me in an untenable position."