New Mexico governor says Republicans should ‘thank’ her as tensions flare over Democrat’s sweeping gun order

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says state Republicans are fundraising off her back amid her controversial gun order in the state’s capital that has riled the GOP, members of her own party and gun rights groups. 

“I’m still waiting on a thank-you note from the New Mexico GOP,” she wrote Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Way to use my call to action around gun violence as a fundraiser instead of using it as an opportunity for immediate action to save New Mexican lives.”

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The remark came after the state Republican party sent fundraising notices related to the opposition to Grisham’s order announced last week that temporarily bans the open and concealed carry of firearms in Albuquerque. 

In response, the National Rifle Association (NRA) filed a lawsuit Thursday in the state’s Supreme Court.

“Please rescind your unlawful and blatantly unconstitutional orders and uphold your oath to defend the constitutional rights of those in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. Until then, we’ll see you in court,” NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch wrote to Lujan Grisham on Thursday, according to a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. 

On Tuesday, the Republican Party of New Mexico said it also plans to sue the governor. 

“We’re filing a lawsuit against @GovMLG and the Secretary of Health for violating the rights of New Mexicans! America is not a totalitarian nation! We will not stand for the governor’s unconstitutional actions,” it posted on social media. 

As the ban continues to elicit criticism, a federal judge has temporarily blocked parts of the public health order for at least 30 days. 

Grisham cited the city’s spike in gun violence for the move. New Mexico placed third among states with the highest firearm mortality rates in 2021, according to the most recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The state had a firearm death rate of 27.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Only Louisiana and Mississippi recorded more deaths, with 29.1 and 33.9, respectively.