Gun Violence Declared a Public Health Emergency in New Mexico after 2 Children Shot and Killed

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Gun Violence Declared a Public Health Emergency

BY ALISS HIGHAM ON 9/8/23 AT 8:40 AM EDT

Gun violence has been declared a public health emergency in New Mexico following the death of an 11-year-old boy.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham made the announcement following the death of a young boy in a shooting on a highway. Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina confirmed in a press briefing that a boy was killed and a second woman was taken to hospital in critical condition. They were attacked while traveling westbound on Avenida Cesar Chavez near University Boulevard. Neither of the victims have been named.

Declaring a public health emergency, Lujan Grisham shared a statement lamenting the death of the boy and the earlier unrelated killing of a five-year-old girl in the area. "Today, I join the family of an 11-year-old boy in mourning his violent death yesterday. And I mourn the loss of a 5-year-old girl murdered in her bed last month," the statement read.

"These are disgusting acts of violence that have no place in our communities. As a mother and grandmother, I cannot fathom the depth of these losses, and their effects will be felt by families, friends and communities forever."

She said new measures need to be brought in to end gun violence in the state and called for a meeting to determine what steps can be taken to reduce harm caused by guns. Lujan Grisham continued: "The time for standard measures has passed. Today I am declaring gun violence a public health emergency in New Mexico."

Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks during a news conference February 16, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Lujan Grisham has signed an executive order over increasing gun violence in New Mexico.

ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES

The executive order signed by Lujan Grisham stated the "rate of gun deaths in New Mexico" had increased by 43 percent from 2009 to 2018, compared to an 18 percent increase nationwide. 

It also said guns are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the state.

Chief Harold Medina briefed the media about a shooting that resulted in the death of an 11-year-old boy. Someone fired several shots at a truck the boy was in as it traveled westbound on Avenida Cesar Chavez near University Blvd. An adult female was also shot and hospitalized. 

In her comments, the governor urged New Mexicans to take action against gun violence, saying: "To my fellow citizens: get loud. Step up. Demand change: from your neighbors, from your friends, from your communities, from your elected leaders. Enough is enough."

Lujan Grisham's actions were met with derision from New Mexico House Republican Minority Leader Ryan Lane, who accused her of politicizing the death to "push her anti-gun agenda." Lane said in a statement: "The Democrat's policies have created and exacerbated the crime crisis that is literally killing New Mexicans daily. It is unacceptable that it has taken this long to notice the number of everyday New Mexicans that are being affected by criminal violence."

This is, of course, political suicide for Lujan Grisham. The NRA will dispose of her like last week's bag of trash.

Remember, it is almost always the children who pay for the madness of adults.