A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday ruled as valid a temporary suspension by the governor of New Mexico of the right to carry guns in parks and playgrounds in parts of the state, court records show, in a victory for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. U.S. District Court Judge David Herrera Urias declined to block the governor's heavily criticized temporary suspension, saying the government has an interest in protecting a vulnerable population, "such as children" in "sensitive places" such as playgrounds. Lujan Grisham in September initially issued a blanket suspension on the right to carry guns in Albuquerque, the state's largest city and surrounding Bernalillo County, framing it as a public health response to deaths of children in gun violence, including the killing of an 11-year-old boy in a road rage incident.
The National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit against New Mexico Democratic Gov. Lujan Grisham over her temporary ban on concealed and open carry in Bernalillo County.