NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL IMPROVING CONCEALED CARRY LAW

April 7, 2005--Yesterday, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill which made three significant changes to the state's shall-issue concealed weapons carry system.

The bill--the "Right-to-Carry Reform Bill" (HB 641)--lowers the age for permit holders from 25 to 21. It also makes permits valid for four years instead of two, and allows authorities to establish reciprocal agreements with other shall-issue states.

Governor Richardson, a Democrat and the former energy secretary under President Clinton, had pushed for the original concealed carry bill two years ago.

The Reform Bill passed the New Mexico legislature with wide bipartisan support. It was sponsored by state Representative John Heaton, also a Democrat.

Spokesmen for a number of gun-rights groups were quick to applaud the bill's passage.

"These changes will encourage more law abiding New Mexicans to apply for a license and protect themselves in a lawful, responsible manner," said Chris Cox, head of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action.

The Citizens Committe for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) was also jubilant.

"The law recognizes that young adults have just as much right to self-defense as older citizens, and that 21-year-olds in New Mexico are just as responsible as 21-year-olds in other states who are already legally licensed to carry," said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron.

"We would hope that governors in a few other states-- namely Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois and Kansas-- will take a lesson from Gov. Richardson," Waldron continued. "Personal protection is not a right that stops at a state's borders, nor is it any less important for people in the upper Midwest than it is in the Southwest."

Governor Richardson has been eyed by many in political circles as being a strong contender for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2008. His backing of concealed carry legislation will likely give him an edge amongst gun owners nationwide, an edge that other Democrat hopefuls, including Senator Hillary Clinton, currently lack.