ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — There’s a legal challenge to a gun control law that went into effect Wednesday in New Mexico.

The National Rifle Association has filed a lawsuit in federal court that claims the law that requires a seven-day waiting period for most gun sales is unconstitutional.

NRA leaders want a federal judge to block the law from going into effect while they consider the challenge.

Under the law, gun sellers in New Mexico have to hold guns for seven days before the buyer can have them. There are exceptions for concealed carry holders and sales between immediate family members.

Democrats behind the law believe it will prevent shootings.

The reasons Republicans are opposed to the law include a person facing urgent circumstances – like a threat. Now they’re hoping for a win in court.

“I think it’s an extremely unconstitutional law,” Republican Sen. Steven McCutcheon II said. “This law does nothing to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. It’s just another restriction for law-abiding citizens to not have access to their firearms.”

Republicans also point to other problems. Earlier this week, KOB 4 spoke with a local gun shop owner who said they’re not getting enough guidance on how to follow the law.

“It’s also a restriction on business, and just like we saw with marijuana, we just pass a law and we figure out the details later while everybody scrambles to make sure they’re compliant,” Sen. McCutcheon said.

One of the arguments for the law is to prevent situations where people commit crimes with guns shortly after buying them. That’s something Republicans have pushed back on.

“I think the statistics are just not there. I’m sure there are one-off cases that happen here or there, but the statistics are just not there to prove that forcing people to wait to get a firearm is going to have anything but a negative effect,” Sen. McCutcheon said.

The lawsuit is against the governor and attorney general. On Thursday a spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office told KOB 4 in a statement:

“The seven-day waiting period is undoubtedly constitutional and does not violate the Second Amendment.  This lawsuit is little more than an effort by the gun lobby to protect profits, not people, despite their assertions to the contrary.”

There’s no timeline for how long the challenge will take to play out.