Leedavisone
Member
Here in New Mexico... By Jeff Jones April 2006
Journal Politics Writer
Gov. Bill Richardson is getting a license to pack heat.
The governor recently passed the state testing to carry a concealed handgun, and his permit is being processed, a spokesman said Friday.
But that doesn't mean Richardson will be slipping his Glock 9mm handgun under his jacket.
Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Richardson doesn't intend to carry a concealed gun. He said the governor went through the application and testing process— including shelling out the $100 fee and undergoing fingerprinting and a background check— to show his support for the state's concealed-carry law, which he signed into law in 2003.
"He views this as a symbolic effort," Gallegos said, noting that the governor is an avid sportsman.
Richardson later Friday said he enjoyed the practice shooting for the concealed-carry test.
He said he owns a Glock— an ultra-reliable semiautomatic favored by many police agencies.
"I went to the firing range several times. I enjoy that. I like to shoot," Richardson said. "I'm told I'm a decent shot."
With or without a personal handgun, Richardson is never far from firepower: Armed State Police officers accompany him wherever he goes.
State Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson said about 4,000 New Mexicans are licensed to carry concealed handguns.
To get a license, applicants must take a training course to learn how to properly handle a gun and understand what is— and isn't— a deadly-force situation.
They must back up their classroom lessons with actual shooting, proving they can hit targets at distances of 9 feet and 21 feet.
Last summer, a concealed-carry permit holder shot and killed a man who was stabbing his ex-wife at an Albuquerque Wal-Mart. It was the first fatal shooting by a New Mexico permit holder.
Olson said to his knowledge, the state has yet to revoke any permit for improper use.
The governor earlier this month announced that he had applied for a state elk-hunting license in the Valle Vidal, a vast slice of Northern New Mexico forests and meadows known for its trophy bull elk.
Richardson has vowed to fight a proposal to open a portion of the Valle Vidal to natural-gas drilling.
Journal Politics Writer
Gov. Bill Richardson is getting a license to pack heat.
The governor recently passed the state testing to carry a concealed handgun, and his permit is being processed, a spokesman said Friday.
But that doesn't mean Richardson will be slipping his Glock 9mm handgun under his jacket.
Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Richardson doesn't intend to carry a concealed gun. He said the governor went through the application and testing process— including shelling out the $100 fee and undergoing fingerprinting and a background check— to show his support for the state's concealed-carry law, which he signed into law in 2003.
"He views this as a symbolic effort," Gallegos said, noting that the governor is an avid sportsman.
Richardson later Friday said he enjoyed the practice shooting for the concealed-carry test.
He said he owns a Glock— an ultra-reliable semiautomatic favored by many police agencies.
"I went to the firing range several times. I enjoy that. I like to shoot," Richardson said. "I'm told I'm a decent shot."
With or without a personal handgun, Richardson is never far from firepower: Armed State Police officers accompany him wherever he goes.
State Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson said about 4,000 New Mexicans are licensed to carry concealed handguns.
To get a license, applicants must take a training course to learn how to properly handle a gun and understand what is— and isn't— a deadly-force situation.
They must back up their classroom lessons with actual shooting, proving they can hit targets at distances of 9 feet and 21 feet.
Last summer, a concealed-carry permit holder shot and killed a man who was stabbing his ex-wife at an Albuquerque Wal-Mart. It was the first fatal shooting by a New Mexico permit holder.
Olson said to his knowledge, the state has yet to revoke any permit for improper use.
The governor earlier this month announced that he had applied for a state elk-hunting license in the Valle Vidal, a vast slice of Northern New Mexico forests and meadows known for its trophy bull elk.
Richardson has vowed to fight a proposal to open a portion of the Valle Vidal to natural-gas drilling.
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