Heinrich announces new tools for NM law enforcement to tackle gun violence

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced May 6 that more than $1 million has been secured in the FY24 appropriations bill to purchase new National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) ballistics testing machines for law enforcement agencies.

Heinrich hosted a press conference May 6 at the New Mexico Department of Justice in Albuquerque with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and Doña Ana County Sheriff Kim Stewart, who were instrumental as Heinrich identified the need for these machines and fought for the funding.

Prior to the investment, there were only three NIBIN machines in all of New Mexico: two in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe. These new machines will expand New Mexico law enforcement’s capacity across the state to more quickly and effectively identify, solve and prosecute crimes involving firearms.

“These new NIBIN machines will make a real difference in helping to solve violent crime, allowing law enforcement to trace firearms used in crimes across our state and hold criminals accountable,” Heinrich said. “When it comes to crime, my focus is on preventing what we can and solving it when we can’t. These machines will help us do both — solving the crimes that happen before those same criminals can do more harm.”

In March, with passage of the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills, Heinrich successfully secured funding for ballistic testing machines. The intelligence gathered by these machines will go to the New Mexico Attorney General’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center, where dedicated and trained analysts will use the information to trace and network firearms used in crimes across the state. The center will then be able to feed that information back to law enforcement agencies to improve identification of suspects and support successful prosecutions.

“It's delivering investments like these NIBIN machines that make me proud to fight for New Mexico on the Senate Appropriations Committee,” Heinrich said. “As we are already gearing up for another appropriations cycle, I look forward to continuing the work to deliver investments that can help make New Mexico safer.”