Hb 137 concealed handguns in licensed liquor establishments.

This is the full alcohol bill we're been working on. Essentially, it simply removes the beer & wine restriction.

http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/13 Regular/bills/house/HB0137.pdf

It's being heard in HOUSE BUSINESS & INDUSTRY today.

Link below to the list of committee members. Shoot them an email to support this bill. This is Chair Debbie Rodellas committee - she's a friend but she told me Monday her caucus wasn't too friendly to the thought.

Maybe a note telling each of them that the intent isn't to go to bar - their focus - but to be able to go to Red Lobster, Chilis, Applebee's - you get the idea. You can also call but generally all they want to hear is "for or against" and the bill number when you call.

We have the support of all the Rs. The Representatives you want to focus on are the Democrats.

http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/committeedisplay.aspx?CommitteeCode=HBIC

Steve Aikens

Here is a list of email addresses to cut and paste:

debbie.rodella@nmlegis.gov; donagale@zianet.com; don.bratton@nmlegis.gov; nora.espinoza@nmlegis.gov; maryhelen.garcia@nmlegis.gov; yherrell@yahoo.com; georgene.louis@nmlegis.gov; jpandp@comcast.net; tom@tomtaylor.net; carl.trujillo@nmlegis.gov; jimtrujillo@msn.com

HB 137 passed out of the HBIC 4-6. We're headed to Judiciary.

Please thank all the R's, Dona Irwing [a D] and Chair Debbie Rodella [a D] especially for her hand in helping get this bill through her committee. We were somewhat stalled until she started asking direct questions.

And let's not forget to thank Rep. Zack Cook for his both carrying the bill, and helping push it forward for us.

zachary.cook@nmlegis.gov or (575) 937-7644

Steve Aikens

That's some very good news.

If you have the time I wouldn't mind knowing what questions the Chairwoman asked.

Any idea of the time-frame moving forward?

AH.74 - Generally, I don't try to recall events and questions from committees for a variety of reasons. However, this one time I'll give it a shot.

After brief introduction testimony by Rep Cook and NRA Lobbyist Tara Mica, as it is traditional, the Chair asked for anyone in the audience that supported the bill. There were two of us that stood in support. One was a uniformed Sheriff, speaking for the Sheriff's Association and I was the other. The Sheriffs Association spokesman was brief but very clear noting they believed having CHL holders known to be in certain establishments MAY be a deterrent to criminal behavior and they are aware of no issues or incidents with any concealed license holder since the 2003 law was enabled in Jan 2004. I briefly noted the reasons the bill made sense as well, citing the fact that the NMAC clearly states you can not consume alcohol when carrying a concealed handgun.

The Chair then asked for those in opposition, I believe there were three that were in opposition. One was Allison Smith, NM Restaurant Association Lobbyist citing server liability, another from some other organization and then a young woman that first claimed she represented the "NM Alcohol Commission" from Roswell. Chair Rodella, as was most of us in the room, was interested in this new Commission and asked the young woman to repeat who she was and who she represented. Under a little pressure, she admitted she was an employee of Applebee's in Roswell and didn't like guns. Uh, yeah - got that.

After asking for questions from the committee - I don't recall much asked from the committee - the Chair asked me directly as a concealed firearms instructor to provide the committee a brief explanation of exactly what is required to be taught in CHL classes. She then asked me to tell her exactly where the law said we can not drink alcohol and she would like to know the exact verbiage of the law that said that. I read NMAC 10.8.2.16 B for the committee. She asked a couple more questions before asking for a vote but I don't recall them.

Chair Rodella is very sharp and has helped us a lot over the years - with any gun bills that made sense to her. Unlike a lot of legislators, she actually listens to what we have to say when we speak with her prior to her committee hearing the bills, does her research and asks questions about the issues she thinks the committee needs to hear, or she may just want clarification.

Steve Aikens

Thank you Steve, that's very interesting. I'm surprised the young girl wasn't shown the door for trying to misrepresent who she was.

From what I understand, the substituted bill passed and seems to have been focused to include restaurants- I am gathering this means restaurants that serve liquor. Does this strike out restaurants with actual bars, and also bars, or just separate bars? Or am I wrong about that?

Steve, just wanted to say thank you for all the hard work and late nights with the legislature... As a state employee who has had to attend a number of hearing for budget issues I'm familiar with the process and inconsistencies in how they hold some of these hearings.
Since the start of the 2013 session, I've been emailing each committee that has some type of bill regarding firearms. Do you recall how Carl Trujillo voted? The reason I ask is I had quite an email thread with him and his staff regarding this bill. I looked at the page for this bill but didn't find how each voted. Carl does not represent my district although I did appreciate the dialog we had. Unfortunately I'm represented by Gail Chasey, and you know her position on guns In my neighborhood I'm surrounded by Obama and Heinrich bumper stickers and yard signs, bummer...

I'll keep up the email campaign until we're through... Keep up the good work.

donovan

And that's exactly the reason I avoid trying to intimate what happened in a committee here AH.

Try to understand this is the first of many steps to get where we want to go - it's a process. The ONLY way you're going to understand the details of the result of each committee hearing - is to be there. And even then, there are details that are happening behind the scenes that you're simply not going to understand until they hit the House/Senate Floors. In this case - it's pretty straight forward. However, this is an unusually simple bill.

The bottom line is - if this passes, it does much to improve our security when we want to take our families to eat, improves the security of that restaurant, and avoids leaving arms in a vehicle in gun free zones for criminals to steal.

However, if you ARE there and have questions, be assured that either I, NRA Lobbyist Tara Mica or NMSSA Lobbyist Joe Thompson can make at least some time to help you along with questions on our bills, or help you understand how to help in committees.

Maybe it's time I spoke up and told you exactly who "the team" working for your rights and privileges is. I think I'll do that when I finish this reply.

As to the young woman being shown the door - if all the people in the audience that "misrepresented" themselves in a committee - or on either chamber floor - were in any way denounced - especially with firearms bills - the chamber would vacate in a hurry. You'd be shocked at how many make claims like this.

Fortunately, committee members as a whole know far more than the [uneducated] public thinks they know about the levels of government in NM, and the agencies NM has created and employs. Pretty hard for someone to portray themselves as someone they aren't or representing an agency they claim to represent that doesn't exist. Make no mistake [like she did] in thinking there is no one in the hearing that can challenge claims like this. Though the committee members know most, you can rest assured that lobbyists absolutely KNOW those agencies and exactly who they would send to a hearing to represent them.

Again, I implore you to make some of the hearings to see what REALLY happens in our capitol.

Rhetoric means little to our friends [aka: preaching to the choir] but can mean far more than you may think - in person - facing our opposition. Your mere presence, standing up in a hearing and making your voice heard for or against a bills does far more than posting your ire here does.

great progress - thx.