VIDEO: Heinrich Leads Press Conference Announcing New Tools for New Mexico’s Law Enforcement to Tackle Gun Violence
ALBUQUERQUE — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced over $1 million he secured in the FY24 appropriations bill to purchase new National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) ballistics testing machines for law enforcement agencies in Las Cruces, Farmington, Gallup, and Roswell.
Heinrich hosted the press conference with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart, who were instrumental as Heinrich identified the need for these machines and fought for this funding.
Prior to this investment, there were only three NIBIN machines in all of New Mexico: two in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe. These new machines will expand New Mexico law enforcement’s capacity across the state to more quickly and effectively identify, solve, and prosecute crimes involving firearms.
“These new NIBIN machines will make a real difference in helping to solve violent crime, allowing law enforcement to trace firearms used in crimes across our state and hold criminals accountable,” said Heinrich. “When it comes to crime, my focus is on preventing what we can and solving it when we can’t. These machines will help us do both – solving the crimes that happen before those same criminals can do more harm.”
Heinrich continued, “It's delivering investments like these NIBIN machines that make me proud to fight for New Mexico on the Senate Appropriations Committee. As we are already gearing up for another appropriations cycle, I look forward to continuing the work to deliver investments that can help make New Mexico safer.”
Background:
In March, with passage of the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) appropriations bills, Heinrich successfully secured funding for ballistic testing machines for Las Cruces, Farmington, Gallup, and Roswell. The intelligence gathered by these machines will go to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center where dedicated and trained analysts will use the information to trace and network firearms used in crimes across the state. The Center will then be able to feed that information back to law enforcement agencies to improve identification of suspects and support successful prosecutions.
Heinrich’s Leadership on Gun Violence:
Delivering these funds is the latest action taken by Heinrich to help reduce gun violence in New Mexico.
In March, in the FY24 appropriations bills, Heinrich also secured language directing the expanded use of NIBIN for state and local agencies in the Southwest Border region.
In November 2023, Heinrich introduced the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion Act (GOSAFE) Act. The GOSAFE Act is designed to protect communities from gun violence, while safeguarding Americans’ constitutional right to own a firearm for legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes.
In July 2023, Heinrich cosponsored the bicameral Ghost Guns and Untraceable Firearms Act. This legislation would require online and other sellers of gun-making kits to comply with federal firearm safety regulations.
In June 2023, Heinrich introduced the BUMP Act, legislation to prohibit the sale of bump stocks and other devices that allow semi-automatic firearms to increase their rate of fire and effectively operate as fully automatic weapons.
Heinrich was also a member of the core bipartisan group that negotiated the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—the first significant federal gun safety legislation to become law in 30 years—specifically leading the successful effort to increase criminal penalties for straw purchases and stop illegal gun trafficking out of our country.
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