JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement today denouncing the Senate’s passage of HB 786, which would dismantle Mississippi’s concealed carry permitting system and allow some violent criminals and people with dangerous mental illness to carry handguns in public without permits.
“Today’s vote is a dangerous setback for our state that dismantles the concealed carry permitting system that has helped to keep Mississippians safe for years,” said Shirley Hopkins Davis, volunteer Chapter Leader of Mississippi Moms Demand Action. “Mississippi lawmakers have made it clear that the will of 83 percent of Mississippians who agree that a person should have a permit to carry a hidden loaded handgun in public does not matter to them at all.”
In addition to 89 percent of Mississippi gun owners who believe that a person should have a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public, Mississippi law enforcement has repeatedly spoken out against the bill as well. Last month, Ken Winter, Executive Director of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police said, “This bill would put law enforcement officers and all Mississippians directly in harm’s way.”
And last week, Mississippi Moms Demand Action and gun violence survivors gathered at the Capitol with Lucy McBath—whose son Jordan Davis was shot and killed at a Jacksonville, Florida gas station in 2012 over loud music—to send a message to lawmakers that HB 786 would be dangerous for public safety.
Despite the overwhelming opposition by the public and law enforcement, the two groups who will be most affected by this bill, the Senate passed HB 786 by a vote of 36 to 14.
