The Democratic governor of New Mexico issued an emergency order banning carrying firearms throughout Bernalillo County, which contains the city of Albuquerque, citing public health concerns following the shooting death of a child outside a baseball game in in the city on Wednesday.

“When New Mexicans are afraid to be in crowds, to take their kids to school, to leave a baseball game — when their very right to exist is threatened by the prospect of violence at every turn — something is very wrong,” Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in an official statement announcing the 30-day prohibition, which police and licensed security guards are exempted from.

The order, enacted on Thursday, has divided public officials and drew Grisham to preemptively address critics. “I welcome the debate and fight about how to make New Mexicans safer,” the governor said during a news conference the following day at which the local district attorney was present.

County sheriff John Allen expressed his reservations over the constitutionality of Grisham’s order but pledged to uphold the temporary measure.

“While I understand and appreciate the urgency, the temporary ban challenges the foundation of our constitution, which I swore an oath to uphold,” the sheriff said. “I am wary of placing my deputies in positions that could lead to civil liability conflicts, as well as the potential risks posed by prohibiting law-abiding citizens from their constitutional right to self-defense.”

“All of those are unsettled questions,” Allen added.

Grisham further acknowledged that the district attorney overseeing the Albuquerque area does not approve of the measure.

The order drew the condemnation of state Senator Greg Baca, the senior-ranking Republican in the body. “A child is murdered, the perpetrator is still on the loose, and what does the governor do? She [Grisham]… targets law-abiding citizens with an unconstitutional gun order.”

Meanwhile, Miranda Viscoli, the co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, commended the governor’s swift response.

“If it saves one life, then it’s worth doing,” Viscoli told the Associated Press.

Since 2019, Governor Grisham has signed several bills curtailing access to firearms, including a controversial “red flag” law in 2020 that empowered local law enforcement to take guns away from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.