Has anyone else noticed how the drive between Raton, NM and Texline, TX just seems to go on and on and on and on?  About the only thing that breaks the monotony is the occasional moment of sheer terror as you come over a hill to be confronted by some impatient asshole who is passing in a no-passing zone.

Anyhow, this wasn’t intended to be about U.S. 87.  Before leaving for Colorado I took a bit of time to refamiliarize myself with the carry laws in Colorado and New Mexico.  The last I had seen was that CO was honoring Texas CHLs, while NM did not (although they had car carry).  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that as of 11/30/2005 Texas CHLs were valid in New Mexico.  However, I was unpleasantly surprised to learn about the restrictions on carry in NM.  Specifically, their law forbids carrying firearms in any establishment that is licensed to “dispense” alcohol.  The current interpretation of that law is that this includes convenience stores.  So Texans beware.  I made it a point to avoid stopping for gas in New Mexico and only stopped at the McDonalds in Raton for a bathroom break and to get some coffee (fast food joints being the only place I could think of that wouldn’t risk running into the convenience store problem).

The other restriction that I find interesting is that they allow a person to conceal only one handgun at a time (i.e. no backup).  You can have as many as you want in your vehicle, though.  It’s just once you get out that the restriction applies.