New Mexico Republicans believe Democrats will back impeachment of left-wing governor over 'rogue' gun order
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham suspended open and concealed carry laws, citing a public health emergency
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New Mexico Republican lawmakers are calling to impeach Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham over a recent firearms order, accusing her of being "unfit for office."
State Reps. Stefani Lord and John Block addressed growing calls for Lujan Grisham's ousting after she temporarily suspended open and concealed carry laws in Bernalillo County for at least 30 days, starting Sept. 8, under an emergency health order.
The lawmakers said during "Fox & Friends" the effort could garner Democrats' support amid bipartisan criticism.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was completely shocked that rather than addressing the crime issue at its core, the governor decided to go ahead and go rogue and restrict law-abiding citizens from owning their guns," Lord told Brian Kilmeade Monday. "And for those of you that don't know, we have an extremely tyrannical governor that has destroyed our beautiful state with her failed policies."
Michelle Lujan Grisham, governor of New Mexico, listens during an interview at her office in Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019. Lujan Grisham is balancing her concern over the catastrophic effects of climate change with the state's extraordinary dependence on oil and gas. Photographer: Steven St John/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Steven St John/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Our crime is out of control. We have fentanyl death as an epidemic. Homeless are living on the street. We have a revolving door for crime. They're out in our communities. Were ranked the worst in education, health care and crime. We're the worst or worst on all the lists, and just when we thought she could not get any worse, she went completely rogue, said, 'Hold my beer,' and I'm going to illegally ban guns for 30 days," she continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"And I don't know if she's either willfully defiant or does not have the mental capacity to understand the Constitution and her oath, but either way, she's unfit for office."
Lujan Grisham's announcement was spurred by the fatal shootings of young children, including a 13-year-old girl in July, a 5-year-old girl in August and an 11-year-old boy this month.
"We are suspending open and concealed carry," she said Friday. "No constitutional right is intended to be absolute."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN TAKING UP FIREARMS CLASSES FOR SELF DEFENSE: 'REFUSING TO BE VICTIMS'
But the move has garnered fierce scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle.
"I support gun safety laws. However, this order from the Governor of New Mexico violates the U.S. Constitution. No state in the union can suspend the federal Constitution. There is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution," California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Liberal gun control activist David Hogg responded to Lieu, agreeing that the governor had no right to issue an "exception" to the Constitution.
"I support gun safety but there is no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution," Hogg posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
David Hogg, March For Our Lives Co-Founder, delivers remarks at the 60th Anniversary Of The March On Washington at the Lincoln Memorial on August 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Block expressed his confidence Democrats in the state legislature could join Republicans' effort to impeach her, citing what he called an "unconstitutional power grab."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think there are many Democrats who absolutely could join us on this," Block said. "This is something that I see bipartisan opposition to with the governor doing incredibly unconstitutional things like taking away our Second Amendment rights. We saw Ted Lieu... her former colleague in Congress, even going after her. We saw David Hogg going after her."
"There's not a single Democrat in the State House or Senate who has gone to support her in this unconstitutional power grab, and I don't think I've seen anything like this before," he continued.
"So absolutely, we can get bipartisan support on this. We will get her impeached."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital spoke with Lujan Grisham's press secretary Caroline Sweeney about the Democratic backlash, but she pushed back on the criticism surrounding the alleged suspension of the Constitution.
"The governor is looking for proactive partners who will bring solutions to the table - not naysayers who have no real answers to the gun violence epidemic we are faced with," Sweeney said.
"She was elected to serve the people of New Mexico, and not a day goes by that she doesn’t hear from a constituent asking for more to be done to curb this horrific violence. If Ted Lieu is so interested in addressing this issue, we invite him to join our next police academy class in January."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.1eye.us/media.
Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}