On Saturday, the tiny dictator who is the current Mayor of Jackson, MS made a public announcement that he was going to be suspending open carry permits. His unilateral decree extends until the end of the declaration of emergency for the Corona Virus.
So, between now and whenever the power-drunk state authorities decide to cancel the state of emergency, folks in Jackson better keep it concealed.
That is, unless a Mississippi State Representative and the Mississippi Justice Institute can put an end to the nonsense. Just today, the Mississippi Justice Institute, together with Rep. Dana Criswell (R-Olive Branch) filed a lawsuit against the city of Jackson.
They claim that the mayor’s ban on open carry is a violate of both the Constitutions of the State of Mississippi and the Constitution of the United States.
Representative Criswell was “shocked” to hear of Mayor Lumumba’s edict. He, himself, is a federal firearms licenesed dealer and an outspoken advocate for open carry laws.
Somebody Had To Stand Up And Do Something!
Criswell, who has only been in politics since his election in 2016, is a big advocate of the Second Amendment. He said in a press release:
“As a citizen of the great state of Mississippi who has regular business in our capital city of Jackson, I was shocked by the recent announcement by Mayor Lumumba. I take the protection of myself and my family very seriously and believe deeply in the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The mayor’s attempt to disarm me and deny me the ability of self-defense puts me and my family in danger any time we are in Jackson,” he said.
Mayor Lumumba, meanwhile, thinks that he has the right to suspend these rights because the city is under an emergency order. The order says that the mayor may pass such “such laws as are necessary for public safety” for the duration of the state of emergency.
“Under State Statute 45-17-7, I am given the discretion in the interest of public safety and welfare to issue such orders that are necessary for the protection of life and property,” Lumumba said.
To say that Lumumba is milking that for all it’s worth is an understatement.
Flimsy Justification Won’t Hold Up
But the Mississippi Justice Institue and Rep. Criswell aren’t buying it.
The MJI said in the press release:
“The U.S. Constitution and the Mississippi Constitution protect the right to openly carry firearms in public for self-defense, as do Mississippi statutes. A mayor does not have the authority to override these constitutional rights, even during a state of emergency.
People around the country might not realize why Open Carry matters so much to gun owners in the Magnolia state. Mississippi has “permitless” or “constitutional carry”, which means that gun owners can open carry or concealed carry wihtout getting a permit first.
But if Lumumba can unilaterally suspend Open Carry by decree, he can just as easily suspend concealed carry–since they both ride on the state’s Constitutional Carry law.
What Does Gun Violence In Jackson Have to Do With Corona?
Simply put: nothing. Jackson’s Mayor Lumumba is just taking advantage of the current state of emergency to stomp all over gun owners.
The deaths he cited as his reasons for suspending Open Carry had nothing to do with Covid 19. If anything, they were gang related. Mayor Lumumba didn’t mention that four of five shootings in one day were by the same unidentified suspects. In the early hours of the morning, these unnamed thugs shot wildly into apartments all over the city. Police said they were connected, targeted attacks.
We hope this Representative and the Mississippi Justice Institute put the smack-down on this Mayor and any other mini-dictators who think the Corona Virus is any excuse to violate our gun rights!