Progressive Politics in New Mexico: Stricter Gun Control and ‘Homicide Scholarships’

[State Rep. Rod] Montoya told the Santa Fe New Mexican the new bill, HB 255, is “a perfect example of how progressives think about crime, that the individual doesn’t need to be held responsible for their actions – [in that they] need to be coddled, that they’re somehow a victim themselves, and we need to make sure that they have an opportunity, and we need to do everything we can to rehabilitate them even when it means we do more for them than the victims.”

Lujan Grisham did not respond to requests for comment on the latter bill.

The governor approved a criminal justice package earlier this month that reportedly targeted fentanyl trafficking in the border state and dealt with suspects deemed mentally unfit for trial and grand theft auto penalties.

However, she was also lambasted by Republicans for supporting what conservatives called one of the strictest pieces of gun control legislation last week. Meanwhile, another top House Republican called the “homicide scholarship” bill “another betrayal to New Mexicans.”

“Democrats have forced through legislation that gives juvenile murderers $2,000 monthly scholarships, funded by the sweat of hardworking taxpayers. This isn’t compassion—it’s a perverse reward for bloodshed, a signal to every thug that crime pays in this state,” said Rep. Stefani Lord of Sandia Park.

Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, added that “Homicide Scholarships should alarm every New Mexican who fears for their safety,” and that the signal sent by the bill is that “crime truly pays.”

“Instead of passing common-sense legislation [from State Rep. Nicole Chavez] … they are playing political games at the expense of victims and taxpayers,” Reeb said, while Rep. John Block, R-Alamogordo, added that in the Land of Enchantment, “victims get ignored; thugs get pampered.”

— Charles Creitz in NM lawmaker whose son was murdered rips Dems for ‘homicide scholarships’ after her crime bill was tanked