NMPGV Pledge Program Gun Buyback - June 2019
This week, 18-year-old Kenderick Castillo died while lunging at a shooter in his classroom. Our students should not have to be this kind of a hero when they go to school. Had it not been for this brave young man’s actions more students would have likely died. The shooting at this Douglas County school left one student dead and another seven students wounded.

In this very county, a recent resolution by the county commissioners put gun rights ahead of the health and safety of their community. New Mexico has now passed 25 similar resolutions. Douglas County Commissioners adopted a resolution stating that they “… will fund the enforcement of only those duly enacted state laws that fully respect and support the Constitutional rights of our citizens, including their rights to due process, to bear arms, and to defend themselves from evil.” Yet, the rights of children to go to school without the fear of being shot is not a priority.
Under a Colorado 2013 Universal Background Check law, the only legal purchasers of handguns are those 21 years or older. The shooting suspects were both 18. This should be a major consideration in the investigation. We know that easy access to guns is a factor in most school shootings. In fact, a Wall Street Journal report published in April of 2018 stated that in 20 school shootings where details were available, 17 guns came from the home of the shooter, with a few students obtaining them from other relatives.
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence worked with youth in New Mexico to pass a Child Access Prevention bill this last legislative session. We will continue to work to pass this important piece of legislation.

Under a Colorado 2013 Universal Background Check law, the only legal purchasers of handguns are those 21 years or older. The shooting suspects were both 18. This should be a major consideration in the investigation. We know that easy access to guns is a factor in most school shootings. In fact, a Wall Street Journal report published in April of 2018 stated that in 20 school shootings where details were available, 17 guns came from the home of the shooter, with a few students obtaining them from other relatives.
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence worked with youth in New Mexico to pass a Child Access Prevention bill this last legislative session. We will continue to work to pass this important piece of legislation.
Murals to End Gun Violence:
We will continue to work with youth on three more gun violence prevention murals. The first will be at a gang intervention center. The second at a drug rehabilitation center for youth and the third will be in the City of Albuquerque. This mural will honor children we have lost to gun violence in New Mexico.
We, at New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, see first-hand the positive effect this program has on our young people who are living in high risk situations.
Our latest youth driven mural is on display at the Rust Medical Center. Please stop by and see it.

Guns To Gardens Gun Buy Backs:

We are raising money to continue to do more gun buybacks this summer throughout New Mexico. Our next gun buyback will be in Santa Fe, (Date to be announced). Please see this recent article about our Guns to Garden program to learn more about it.
Second Amendment Sanctuary Cities:
We are working to have counties rescind these insidious resolutions as they go against the New Mexico State Constitution and put the lives of New Mexico residents in danger of being killed. To date, we have succeeded in Taos, Angel Fire, and Aztec, New Mexico.
We cannot do this work without your support.
Any donation you give will go directly to our summer youth programs.