EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is hailing committee passage of a bill to ban the sale of assault weapons in her state.

“I am a firm believer in responsible gun ownership. […] But the fact is that our communities, our families and our law enforcement are put at risk every single day when weapons of war fall into the wrong hands,” Lujan Grisham said.

House Bill 101 would prohibit the possession, manufacturing, sale or transfer of large-capacity magazines and assault weapons in New Mexico. It passed the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee on Tuesday on a 4-2 vote.

The committee also approved House Bill 100, which implements a 14-day waiting period for the purchaser to take possession of the gun. Its stated purpose is to “prevent impulsive acts of violence.”

The bills have a grandfather clause that allows current assault weapon owners to keep the targeted firearms provided they file an affidavit with the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.

Border Report reached out to the Republican Party of New Mexico, which has a track record of defending the rights of gun owners and is awaiting a response.

Anthony Segura, communications director of the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, called both bills “ridiculous.”

“It doesn’t have to be an AR-15, they’re calling any rifle an assault rifle. There are other platforms, different other styles of Black rifles that are not the same caliber as an AR-15,” Segura said. “There are so many bills […] They’re not just talking about rifles, they’re also talking about pistols – as long as they have an exchangeable magazine, they want to get rid of it.”

Segura said the association is working with Democratic and Republican state lawmakers who are known to be gun owners to prevent the passage of the bill on the House floor.

However, “if it stays on partisan vote, it could go into law. […] if they pass it’s going to go into litigation because it violates the Second Amendment (of the U.S. Constitution) and also violates Article 2 of the New Mexico constitution because it’s the same thing.”

The New Mexico House of Representatives has 45 Democrats and 25 Republicans; the state Senate has 27 Democrats and 15 Republicans.