A New Mexico lawmaker has proposed a bill that would prohibit registered sex offenders from using websites that allow minors to sign up for and from using instant messaging and chat rooms.

Rep. Nate Gentry, R-Albuquerque, introduced the bill that would make it a misdemeanor if an offender violates the law.

The three-page proposal does not explain how exactly the law would be enforced or how much it would cost.

"It's horrifying to us as parents," Las Cruces parent Marina Banegas said. "I want to see it passed."

"I think they should be banned from anything that could get them associated with any children," Las Cruces parent David Fetherlin said.

But opponents said the bill would violate a person's first amendment right.

"It is unconstitutional to punish people after they have served their sentence," Reform Sex Offender Laws New Mexico President Lloyd Swartz said.

RSOLNM said it believes the law stems from emotion and not research, saying the biggest threat for children usually comes from closer to home and less often from the anonymous stranger on the internet.

"The reality is the bulk of all sexual offenses occur from someone the child knows," Swartz said.

Swartz said the group is behind restricting the use of the Internet for sexual offenders who are on parole or probation -- something that is already in effect in some cases.