On Friday, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety announced that it would no longer recognize concealed carry permits issued by Utah. TTAG suggested that The Land of Enchantment was disenchanted with The Beehvive State’s gun trainers because Utah’s mob were encroaching on New Mexico’s home grown instructors’ turf. I just got off the blower with New Mexico’s PR guy. DPS spinmeister Peter Olsen says it’s all about Utah’s sub-standard standards. “We became concerned that residents were circumventing our conceal carry laws,” Olsen maintained. “Utah’s trainers were giving permits to New Mexicans after four hours of classroom instruction. In our state, permit holders must take 15 hours of instruction, which includes proven proficiency.” We’re talking range safety, gun safety and basic marksmanship (“being able to hit what you’re aiming at”). Surprisingly, Olsen said his employer never had “real reciprocity” with Utah, anyway.
“We had an informal agreement with Utah, as we do with 15 other states.” Other than Utah, from which the plug was pulled. And Texas, with which New Mexico has a formal agreement. And yes, New Mexico’s Concealed Carry Unit (Special Investigations Division) is reviewing its reciprocity arrangements with the other states. Fo shizzle. Says so, right on their website.
New Mexico Department of Public Safety is reevaluating the status of eighteen other states currently recognized on an informal basis, with the intent of entering into written agreements with these states to ensure compliance. These states are: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wyoming.
“Some of them have even lower standards than Utah,” Olsen said. Huh? “You just fill out a test and mail it in.” Does that mean . . . ? “We would [cancel the agreement] if their training is not as stringent.” Watch this space.
[Click here for New Mexico’s CCW rules and regs]
A lot of these reciprocity problems could be alleviated if the states simply assumed the same policy towards CCW permits that they do towards drivers licenses: If you’re not a resident, you don’t get a permit, period. Want a Utah Permit? Either move to Utah or get your own state to issue a permit to you.
Unfortunately, some states thought they could augment their state revenues a little bit by selling permits to non-residents, which is what pissed off New Mexico in the first place (and rightly so.)
After seven years of no problem with Utah permit holders and DPS taking its time with the " problem" I am suspicious of their motives. With their logic nearly all reciprocity agreements or informal agreements will be void. So New Mexican's despite their" higher training level" will not be able to carry anywhere but in New Mexico. Maybe a highly trained New Mexican will loose the chance to protect their lessor trained neighbors with the loss of reciprocity,
Our current administration has worked very hard to ruin the program. The three million dollars in fees in the concealed carry budget was removed illegally gutting the program. Just my opinion but the best security investment they had, Taking 6 months to issues licenses is absurd and obstructive. Releasing two year old news stories on two instructors engaged in fraud when 300 instructors have done an outstanding job helping people and saving lives. Basically, I don't listen to DPS bullshit anymore. Bill Richard sons administration has absolutely no interest in serving or protecting the people of this state and he should be impeached
I'm sure the state was more concerned about the loss of the $100 initial application fee.
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