ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – In the wake of the mass shooting that happened in Maine last month, New Mexico’s attorney general is now offering red flag training for law enforcement agencies across the state.

While Red Flag Laws have been on the books in New Mexico for years now, they have not been utilized very often.

Red Flag Laws allow concerned friends and family members to alert law enforcement that someone with access to a gun may be a danger to themselves or others.

The attorney general is now offering a refresher course for law enforcement officers walking them through the process of Red Flag Laws.

While this training is not mandatory, the attorney general is hoping all departments in the state will take part in one form or another. Whether that’s in-person or through a video training session the AG’s office is putting together. 

“We go through hypothetical situations about people in different jurisdictions and how that works, where the venue is properly established, what court to proceed with the filing,” said Raúl Torrez, New Mexico Attorney General.  

But Torrez also wants everyday people to know our Red Flag Laws are in place to protect them, and if they have concerns about a friend or a family member who might hurt themselves or others with a gun, they should feel comfortable going to law enforcement to see if they can get those gun temporarily removed. 

“We have an existing framework that balances the Second Amendment rights of every citizen in the country to keep and to bear arms, but also recognizing that we have important tools to remove weapons from people who are dangerous, or suffering from mental disorders. And that it is a balanced and targeted focused approach that we think will help mitigate the chances of mass casualty or mass shooting events,” said Torrez. 

Torrez also adds our Red Flag Laws aren’t perfect. He would like to see some changes to the law including removing the 48-hour grace period, clarifying who can be a reporting party of red flags, and add protections for those who raise red flag concerns.