It's been nearly a year since New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared "gun violence" a public health emergency in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, and ordered a ban on concealed carry in the city and county. Grisham's original order was quickly revised to "only" ban lawful carry at parks and playgrounds, and a federal judge limited her edict solely to playgrounds a few months later, but Grisham has continued to defend her limited carry ban in both federal court and the court of public opinion. 

While Grisham has blamed lawful gun owners for the violent crimes that plague the state's most populous city and county, Albuquerque police say they're seeing a "significant increase" in violent crimes committed by individuals who aren't even old enough to legally keep or bear arms. 

APD attributes much of the surge in juvenile crime to the influence of social media, which has provided easy access to illegal substances and firearms for minors. Commander Jeff Bernard of the Investigative Services Division noted that the department has seen children as young as ten involved in serious offenses.

“We’ve observed a worrying trend of violent crimes among our youth, with incidents involving gun crimes and drug trafficking becoming more common,” Bernard said. “Social media has significantly increased the availability of these illicit goods, making it easier for juveniles to get involved in criminal activities.”

Last week, another shooting occurred at Coronado Center, adding to the growing list of juvenile-related crimes in Albuquerque. In one particularly tragic case, a 23-year-old woman named Sydney Wilson was murdered after finding her stolen vehicle. A teen was charged for her death.

Auto thefts involving juveniles have also risen sharply, often driven by social media trends. “We had a period where several vehicles, including bait cars, were stolen by juveniles,” Bernard said. “These stolen vehicles have been used in other crimes, including homicides.”

The Albuquerque Police has released a public service announcement aimed at parents, warning them of the dangers of social media and how the platforms are being used to facilitate the illegal sale of guns, drugs, and alcohol, in addition to serving up a steady stream of videos showing teens and pre-teens engaged in illegal acts, from car burglaries to carjackings to shootings. 

The PSA is fine for what it is, but I can't help but wonder why Grisham hasn't taken a page from her attacks on lawful gun owners and announced a ban on social media in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County... or at least prohibiting those under the age of 18 from using Snapchat, TikTok, and other platforms. 

Sure, a move like that would violate the First Amendment, but the same is true of Grisham's attempt to ban concealed carry, and that didn't seem to give her pause. She claimed without merit that prohibiting lawful gun owners from being able to protect themselves and their loved ones would somehow improve public safety, and even now moms and dads with valid carry licenses are told to leave their guns behind, or at least in their cars, when they take their kids to the local playground. 

Grisham has renewed her "emergency" public health orders limiting concealed carry several times over the past ten months, even as violent juvenile crime has spiked in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. The governor's edict hasn't made Albuquerque much safer, but it has made it more difficult for lawful residents to defend themselves from carjackings, shootings, and other crimes of opportunity committed by violent juvenile offenders who are illegally arming themselves and preying on residents. I don't actually think a ban on social media for teens would be the right idea, but it's pretty clear that the governor's strategy of targeting legal gun owners has been an abject failure in terms of public safety, and a clear violation of the Second Amendment rights of New Mexicans.