For some time, I have been thinking of relocating to New Mexico and understand it is a gun friendly State (please correct me if I am wrong). As a gun owner from California, what are the rules in terms of bringing my firearms with me and notifying the State should I decide to relocate.
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Hi Jorge,
I think you should contact the new state to get the meat and potatoes of the rules and not just a lot of chatter on here that’s not definitive or absolute, they may end up not having any new rules, then contact our USCCA and see what they are saying also. I don’t know if anyone on here is a New Mexico resident but I’m sure there’s some out here.
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New Mexico is beautiful, @Jorge! I haven’t been there since I was in college - and no, I’m not going to tell you how long ago that was. 
They are a shall issue state, don’t have magazine or ammunition restrictions, do not have Red Flag Laws, and no permit is required to purchase a handgun. You can see a lot more detail on this page:
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/nm-gun-laws/
Does that help?
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Bring them, you don’t have to notify anyone. You’ll have to get a NM carry permit but that’s no problem.
Where are you considering relocating to exactly? Albuquerque is a mess of crime and gangs, I’d avoid it. Most of the rest of the state is pretty nice but the politics are heavily left in general unfortunately these days.
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That’s cool. NM carry permit easy to obtain? Considering Albuquerque or Rio Rancho.
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You couldn’t pay me to live in Bernallio county.
Seriously Clovis, Portales, Roswell, Artesia, Hobbs, T or C, Las Cruces, any would be better choices.
Yes the permit is extremely easy to obtain. I think the whole class including range time is about four hours.
Drop me a private message if you like and we can discuss details.
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Jorge the permit in NM is 15 hours of training classroom and range. Gun friendly state but changing now. Wanted to do assault ban, magazine capacity, etc. Time wilm tell
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@Jerry37 Thanks for the information. Does the permit specify the manufacturer and model and caliber of pistol you’re authorized to carry or just the caliber of the pistol?
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Hi, Joerg,
I live in NM, and have an NM CCL. The permit only specifies the caliber and type (revolver or semi-auto). If you wish, you can qualify for both in the same class.
In the last election, NM politics swung hard left. We now have a red flag law, and as was noted previously, there is other leglislation in the pipeline. An interesting aside: 23 of the rural counties in the stste declared themselves ’ 2A sanctuary counties’ when the red flag law was passed.
If you move to NM go rural, but if you don’t want the hassle, I’d suggest Arizona or Texas. Good Luck!
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Just caliber so if you cert with a 45 you can carry anything
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@Henry_A I love that it only specifies the caliber and type. It gives you so much freedom to qualify with whichever firearm and model you feel most comfortable. Qualifying in both semi-auto and revolver is a pretty good idea. Thanks for the information.
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Makes it easy all around.
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Hi, Jorge;
Any idea of where you are going to settle down yet? Belen, NM is a medium sized town in the Rio Grande valley about 35 miles south of Abq. Check it out…the best plan would be to stay out of Bernalillo and Santa Fe counties. High property taxes and restrictive laws. Belen is in Valencia county.
I call Rio Rancho ‘little New York’. The reason will be fairly obvious when you check their website. I live in Mountainair, a small town about 80 road miles from Abq.
When I retired, I got the hell out of Abq. Because of filth, gangs and high crime rates. Good Luck!!
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Hi @Henry_A,
I have been thinking of Rio Rancho, Santa Fe or Albuquerque. I hear that Abq. has a high crime rate.
Happy Birthday Jorge😱
No I was just saying this morning because I know you are in CA about the 15 new gun laws your Gov. Newsome signed. I figured you would be up on them but it’s been a number of hours and I forgot who I was even talking with.
@Robert8 Thanks for the birthday wishes. I’ll read up on the new laws tonight and give you my take.
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Maybe also share with Zee I also mentioned her in the same posting. I knew you are in CA possibly heading to NM. Happy Weekend
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Hi, Jorge, and Happy Birthday!
RE: places to settle…
Albuquerque has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. Avoid it, if you can. Santa Fe is like California was in the '60s. It is deep ‘blue’ and generally hates the military, LEO’s, etc. Their gun laws are the most restrictive in the state. Rio Rancho (AKA:little New York) is not as restrictive as Santa Fe, and the western part of the town is not in Bernalillo county, so it should be OK. Jobs are available, depending on your trade. There is a big Intel plant there. Good Luck!
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