Man Brings Assault Rifle Into New Mexico Capitol to Prove a Point
A YouTube video of a man carrying a loaded rifle into the New Mexico Capitol is getting plenty of attention online. Not because he did anything wrong, but because he was making a point about his rights.
And his message certainly got state lawmakers’ attention.
“I’m gonna go inside the state Capitol and see if I can educate a few people,” the man says in the video, only identified by his YouTube account name of “martinrps13.”
He walked into the east entrance lobby of the Capitol with an AR 15 rifle strapped across his chest, a handgun and a camera. The man walked right up to the security desk and told guards what he was doing.
“Is that thing loaded?” a security guard asked.
“I believe in if I carry a firearm, I carry it loaded,” the man responded.
The man brought a copy of the New Mexico Constitution and read aloud his rights to the guards. While guns are banned from schools, banks and bars, they’re not specifically forbidden at the New Mexico Capitol.
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You can read the news story here, and see the (short) video of the evening news coverage: Man Brings Assault Rifle Into NM Capitol to Prove Point
I haven’t watched the whole video at the top. What I did see was fairly dull.
Today, the man was identified, although not by name, publicly.
The man who brought an AR 15 rifle into the New Mexico Capitol building has been identified as a technical sergeant at Holloman Air Force Base.
The airman uploaded a video on YouTube of him walking into the Capitol with a rifle and telling the security guards about his rights as a gun owner.
Police officers spoke with the man but didn’t stop him because New Mexico doesn’t have any laws that specifically ban firearms in the Capitol.
Holloman Air Force Base told KOB Eyewitness News 4 that the man works with the 49th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
An official said the Air Force is currently investigating the incident and will respond appropriately.
He may have caused a new law prohibiting similar acts in the future.
