Feb. 14—A ban on guns at polling places is headed to the governor’s desk after state senators unanimously signed off Wednesday morning on an amendment to the bill added by the House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 5 now carries an exemption for gun owners with a valid concealed carry permit, thanks to a Tuesday night amendment proposed by Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque.

The only other gun safety bill to pass both chambers this session imposes a seven-day waiting period for buying a firearm. Both bills were among 21 measures included in a broad public safety package Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham unveiled just before the start of the session.

Sen. Joe Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, one of the co-sponsors of SB 5, said while he voted in favor of the polling place bill, guns at polling places has not been a problem in New Mexico.

“I think it’s important … to take a moment to realize we really didn’t do very much this session on guns,” he said. “… Let’s not get too excited about what we’ve accomplished.”

Another co-sponsor, Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said he thinks the polling site gun ban is important, though, especially “with the election cycle we’re going into.”

Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, said he’s frustrated that his own proposal to exempt those who have obtained a concealed carry permit failed, but he’s proud of the measure’s bipartisan support.

SB 5 slipped through the House on a narrow vote of 35-34 late Tuesday.

The House also voted 35-34 to adopt Rehm’s amendment.

Ten House Democrats joined the 25 Republicans in the chamber to support the amendment, while nine Democrats joined Republicans to vote against SB 5 after about 2 1/2 hours of debate.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.