NRA WROTE OP-EDS PUBLISHED UNDER NEW MEXICO SHERIFFS' NAMES TO PROTEST GUN CONTROL
Source: Newsweek
BILLS, DOCUMENTS REVEAL
BY ASHER STOCKLER ON 5/24/19 AT 2:23 PM EDT
The National Rifle Association (NRA) tried to influence New Mexico's gun control policies using the authority of local law enforcement as leverage, including drafting an op-ed that was subsequently published under individual sheriffs' names.
Emails seen by Newsweek which were first obtained through a public records request from Brady, a national gun violence prevention organization that advocates for stricter firearms laws, reveal how the NRA interacts with local officials. The correspondence, sent to the head of the New Mexico Sheriffs' Association (NMSA) and then forwarded to local sheriffs, were first described in a Brady report on Monday.
In a February email, an NRA representative forwarded wording about gun control proposals from an NRA lobbyist to NMSA Chairman and Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace, along with a note explaining, "This is a draft to start submitting to local papers by the individual sheriffs."
"Law-abiding gun owners need to be alerted to several firearm-related bills being pushed at the Roundhouse by out-of-state gun control organizations," the 346-word letter began. "These measures make it harder for law-abiding New Mexicans to exercise their Second Amendment rights, waste scarce law enforcement resources, and do nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals."
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/nra-lobbying-new-mexico-sheriffs-1431949?piano_t=1
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