Not Absolute
“No constitutional right, including my oath, is intended to be absolute.” - Governor Lujan Grisham (New Mexico)
This is a direct quote of the Governor of New Mexico who temporarily banned the concealed and open carry of any weapons across the state. This is her solution to gun violence. She forgot that criminals don’t give a shit about the law and don’t care if she bans anything or violates the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. As you can imagine, people are furious.
I am all for state’s rights and the ability for states to determine how they will be run. I personally believe what Governor Grisham did is illegal. I am sure other people do as well.
You’d think the conservative crowd, specifically gun owners, would be the most irate. You know who should be losing their minds right now? Liberals. You know why? Because everyone who keeps using the argument that health care, housing, and abortion are Constitutional rights, just lost all footing. ALL OF IT.
Whether you agree they are rights guaranteed in our Constitution or not, a Democrat Governor just said very publicly that it DOESN’T MATTER. In every single state where people are losing their shit because abortion rights are being curtailed, they should be livid. They were ALL using the argument that abortion is a Constitutional right, even though abortion is never specifically mentioned in the Constitution. According to Governor Grisham, it doesn’t matter. She took it upon herself to determine what is and isn’t an absolute right.
She just committed political suicide. Here’s why…
This is going to court. It will go to court in New Mexico and then will likely end up in the US Supreme Court after a number of appeals. Even if she wins and the Supreme Court upholds her ban on carrying guns in New Mexico, the legal precedent will be set that a Governor, in their own state, can determine what is and isn’t a Constitutional right. That includes abortion, housing, and health care. Every Governor in every state that wants to ban abortion will do EXACTLY what she did; they will declare a health emergency and ban it. She didn’t go through the state legislature, she just did it…and so will they.
If she loses and the ban is rescinded, it reinforces that carrying a gun in public is a Constitutional right that cannot be infringed upon. Obviously, that will be a major coffin nail in the anti-gun argument. That arrow will be taken out of the quiver for every single Governor in every state in the nation. It will reinforce the pro-gun crowd and their interpretation of the Constitution. It will also degrade any connection between gun violence and health emergencies.
It’s a lose-lose proposition. Governor Grisham screwed this one up royally and she will pay for it. The best thing that can happen for the Democratic Party is that Governor Grisham is impeached and removed from office very quickly so they can distance themselves from her and hope this is forgotten before the next election cycle. If not, you will see every Republican Gubernatorial candidate, every sitting Republican Governor up for reelection and the entire field of GOP Presidential candidates bring this up. They will use it as a reason NOT to elect a Democrat, they will use it as a reason to protect the Second Amendment, and they will use it in every argument against free health care, abortion, and free housing.
That’s how I see this playing out…but you never know because it’s Not Absolute.