New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s attempt to put the right to bear arms on ice in Albuquerque for 30 days is off to an inauspicious start; with the first lawsuits already underway, confusion over which law enforcement agency (if any) will try to enforce her mandate, and dozens of gun owners openly defying Grisham’s order by rallying with their firearms in the city’s Old Town on Sunday.

VIDEO THREAD: Gun owners – many visibly armed – rallied in old Town Albuquerque today to openly defy the New Mexico Governor's Executive Order banning the open and concealed carry of firearms there as a one-month "emergency."

Police did not intervene or enforce the order. pic.twitter.com/BAk0kDZC9A

— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) September 10, 2023

The rally didn’t feature any arrests or citations for those openly carrying firearms, which must be disappointing to the gun-grabbing governor. In a sign that her experiment in authoritarianism is already backfiring, several participants said their attendance marked the first time they’d ever taken part in an organized protest.

Bob Hurtado had never attended a protest in his life until Sunday.

The former engineer decided to join the crowd gathered at Old Town Plaza because he felt Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s recent emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public in and around Albuquerque was targeting the wrong people.

“She’s going after the wrong people,” Hurtado said. “I pay my taxes, I’m a God-fearing American and I think we should have our Second Amendment rights. I’m here for that.”

Grisham’s provided no evidence that any of the recent shootings in Albuquerque have been committed by lawful gun owners and those possessing a concealed carry permit, though even if she had it still wouldn’t justify her attempted end-run around the U.S. and New Mexico constitutions. Not only is Grisham now facing a court fight she’s certain to lose, but potential political consequences as well.

Among those who were present at the rally was Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Bernalillo and Torrance counties.

Lord had announced on her X, previously known as Twitter, account on Saturday that she, along with Rep. John Block, R-Otero County, were calling for the governor’s impeachment. She said in a statement that “the emergency order violates the Governor’s oath to protect and defend the rights of New Mexicans.”

At Sunday’s rally, she said they have already filed the Article of Impeachment and expects to carry the effort forward.

“It has to go to our legal counsel first and we plan on pursing this all the way. It’s also going to depend on if we get support on the Democrats’ side and we actually might with this,” Lord said. “Because she has gone too far that every single person agrees that what she did was illegal.”