Lea County Voters Decide Tuesday Whether to Tax Themselves to Fund a Fight Against New Mexico Gun Laws

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

LEA COUNTY, NM — Voters in Lea County will decide Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether to raise their own gross receipts tax to build a defense fund against what the ballot calls “unconstitutional state government overreach.” The lawmaker who pushed for the measure tied it directly to New Mexico’s newest gun laws.

The ballot item is titled “Lea County Defense Fund Gross Receipts Tax,” as reported by KOAT. It asks: “Shall the County of Lea impose a county gross receipts tax in the amount of one-hundredth of a percent, the revenues of which shall be used to create a defense fund to protect and defend against unconstitutional state government overreach?” Lea County commissioners voted unanimously in August to put it on the ballot.

State Rep. Randall Pettigrew, who represents Lea County, petitioned for the measure. He pointed to Senate Bill 5 and House Bill 149. Together, those bills restrict where guns can be carried near polling places and set a seven-day waiting period for firearm purchases in New Mexico.

“Many of these are bad pieces of legislation in my opinion that infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens,” Pettigrew said at the August meeting of the Lea County Board of County Commissioners.

For anyone who carries, the polling-place restriction is one more location rule to track alongside the rest of New Mexico’s concealed carry laws. The seven-day waiting period affects anyone buying a firearm in the state.

The tax itself is small. The measure would raise the gross receipts tax rate for residents outside incorporated communities such as Hobbs and Lovington from 5.25% to 5.26%. Lea County Manager Corey Needham said the increase could generate nearly $1 million a year for the defense fund.

Pettigrew said he initially had doubts about backing a tax increase. “I was struggling with this until I realized I’m not voting to raise taxes. I’m voting to allow our citizens in our county to choose whether they want to pay a little more to defend their rights,” he told commissioners.

More from USA Carry:

• Massachusetts Gun Owners Must Register Their Firearms Today, Six Days Before Voters Decide Whether to Keep the Registry Law
• Homeowner Defends Himself from 4 Attackers with AR-15, Killing Two
• Why Five? A Cook County Suburb Opens the Door to Home-Based FFLs, Then Puts a Ceiling on It
• Maryland Stretched ‘Sensitive Place’ Across Public Life. Now SAF, FPC and Maryland Shall Issue Have Filed Their Last Brief Before the Court Decides Whether to Step In.
• Two Federal Courts, Two Weeks Apart, Split on Whether Silencers Are Protected Arms

Not everyone in the county is on board. The measure has drawn online debate, and KOAT reported that it has raised questions about its legality and purpose. “At the end of the day, it’s our tax dollars, and we deserve answers,” one resident commented. Another urged voters to turn it down: “Did you know there is a tax increase on this ballot? Show up and vote against this.”

The decision now sits with the people who would pay the tax. I will continue tracking the Lea County vote and any legal challenge the fund ends up supporting.

Read the original story: Lea County Voters Decide Tuesday Whether to Tax Themselves to Fund a Fight Against New Mexico Gun Laws