Legislators in New Mexico are advancing legislation that will rein in private paramilitary groups.
House Bill 14 emerged Monday from the House Judiciary Committee vetting for a possible floor vote, with the backing of Democrats.
“The state constitution prohibits private paramilitary activity, but today New Mexico doesn’t have a law that’s tailored to effectively preventing paramilitary groups from mobilizing for acts of intimidation and violence,” Mark Baker, an Albuquerque attorney and expert witness for the bill, told KRQE.
Oñate Statue Protest
The proposal is partially a response to a 2020 incident when an armed group calling themselves the New Mexico Civil Guard got involved in a protest centered on the statue of early Spanish settler Juan de Oñate in Albuquerque….