New Mexico’s Republican Governor, Susana Martinez, said on Monday night that she would be willing to sign proposed legislation aimed at closing the so-called “gun show loophole.”
“I think I could support it if it stays the way it is, that has, number one, keeping the guns out of the hands who people who don’t have any business having guns,” she told a local New Mexico blog. Currently, private sales of firearms do not require a background check. This allows criminals to easily obtain a gun undetected through avenues like Craigslist, pawn shops, or even gun shows. Eighty percent of guns used in crimes are likely privately purchased.
A bill that would close the existing background check loophole in New Mexico has already passed through committee. The state’s full House of Representatives is expected to take up the measure on Wednesday.