Senator calls for ‘civility' after death threat following New Mexico GOP post
Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) on Thursday called for 'civility' and asked Senate Republicans to condemn a death threat against him and the posting of his home address in the comments of an official Republican Party of New Mexico social media post he characterized as 'a falsehood, a lie.'
'I'm a big boy, so I'm used to politics, distortions, lies and mistruths,' Cervantes said on the Senate floor. 'But when it leads to some of the comments that were made on that Republican website that include my home address, GPS coordinates to my home and a suggestion that I'm treasonous and that the penalty for treason is death — it really requires me to stand up and say: Let's work together cooperatively, intelligently and ask you all to denounce that type of rhetoric.'
The post in question referred to Senate Bill 279, which would prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt or possession of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms, magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, and devices that convert semi-automatic guns into fully automatic ones.
Cervantes is not one of the bill's five sponsors. But the bill is assigned to be heard by the Senate Judiciary committee, which Cervantes chairs.
On Feb. 18, across social media, the official state Republican party social media accounts posted a graphic with a photo of Cervantes accompanied by text claiming 'Joseph Cervantes (D) plots radical overreach to ban guns' with his office's number and email, and a message to oppose Senate Bill 279, calling it an anti-Second Amendment bill.
Minority Floor Leader William Sharer (R-Farmington) responded to Cervantes on the floor and defended the party's post.
'I reject the idea that it was a lie, mostly because the chair of the committee gets to decide what happens in that committee, and certainly we were told that this was getting ready to happen in that committee,' Sharer said on the floor. 'So, while I understand his concern, and I deeply, deeply, deeply do not condone any violence or any threat of violence — for that, I ask whoever's out there doing that: Stop. Stop.'
Sharer further asked Cervantes 'for peace, and I will try to avoid being that pointed.'
Source NM verified that at least two comments on the social media post characterized the legislation as an 'infringement' on 'our right to bear arms,' before adding that 'violating the Constitution is considered 'Treason' and the maximum 'punishment for treason is death.' Both posts were tagged for possible violations for 'rules against Violent Speech.'
In an interview outside his office following his remarks on the floor Cervantes said he has not filed a police report about the death threat and 'probably' doesn't intend to do so because it would give more attention to the person who made the threat, and 'they may get crazier.'
'I've never been about banning guns. I'm a gun owner. I have a concealed carry permit,' he said. 'Any suggestion that I'm working to ban guns is false.'
He said the incident doesn't dissuade him at all from hearing SB 279, and he intends to schedule it for a hearing.
'I'd rather downplay it; I think it's been addressed,' Cervantes said.
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