MLK Jr. And Peaceful Noncompliance

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. preached and practiced peaceful noncompliance to discriminatory laws against Blacks decades ago. Mahatma Gandhi used it in India against the repressive regime in power at that time. It is one of two avenues to counterattack the ridiculous, and by her own admission, illegal “emergency” order handed down last Friday night by the wannabe tyrant New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham disarming Albuquerque residents for the next thirty days.

Her excuse to take such action you ask? It’s a public health emergency, and she thinks that it overrides both the New Mexico State and US Constitutions. Albuquerque, an incredibly dangerous city, has seen slightly falling murder rates these last two years, but the recent killing of an eleven-year-old child in a road rage incident is her excuse to declare such a “health emergency”. 

We all know several groups have already begun litigation to halt this action.  How best do we practice peaceful noncompliance in this case? There is already help from local law enforcement leadership at the City and County Sheriff levels stating they will not have their officers and deputies enforce this illegal order. Grisham has stated that her State Police will be the ones who enforce the “civil” order. That leads me to this interesting tweet by Libertarian Presidential Candidate Chase Oliver:

“Some have asked me what is the best course of action to oppose the unconstitutional actions of Governor Lujan in New Mexico. I encourage peaceful noncompliance. If you are arrested for exercising your right to bear arms, sue the state. You will have legal support from the community. Take the case all the way to SCOTUS [if] you must. I imagine this is a pretty easy case for courts to rule against the governor. Even she admits that what she’s doing would get struck down by a legal challenge. Peaceful noncompliance and legal challenges will end this and secure rights in the future.”

Why Take This Illegal Action?

Grisham is term-limited out, cannot be recalled, and is unlikely to be impeached by the Democrat-controlled New Mexico State Legislature. So why would she take this illegal action? My guess is this is a coordinated action for two reasons: 

The first is that the Left has, for years, attempted to frame gun control as a public health emergency issue granting public health bureaucrats broad powers to eliminate Second Amendment freedoms. It doesn’t take much search effort to find multiple statements by Dr. Fauci that his power to limit Americans’ Constitutional rights should trump your freedoms. A legal win in the Federal Court on this issue would open the door for more executive actions of this nature.

The second is to raise her national profile going into the 2024 election cycle. She either wants the Vice President slot or a major cabinet position in the next Democratic administration. Once again, proving that Leftists are always looking to fail up.

The good news is that they cannot arrest everyone, and the few who are arrested will be able to make legal mincemeat of the officers and governors who have illegally arrested them.

This is also another example of why each one of us needs to be Ready at All Times and never forget that those gun control dangerous quacks are playing a long game but so are we at IFC. Help us by joining or renewing your IFC membership here today.

Shoot Straight, Speak The Truth, and Never Surrender Our Liberties.

Dave Funk
President, IFC