Press Releases

Thompson Disturbed by Attorney General’s Interpretation of Mississippi’s New Gun Carry Law

WASHINGTON, DC -  Today, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02) released the following statement regarding the opinion released today by the State Attorney General regarding Mississippi’s gun carry law:

“As a gun owner and avid hunter, I am deeply disturbed by the Attorney General’s interpretation of Mississippi’s gun law. Allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons into polling places, government meeting spaces, airports and schools is a clear risk to the safety of Mississippians.  In light of the recent gun violence at the Los Angeles International Airport, the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown and even the Washington Navy Yard, we must begin to carefully analyze and fine-tune our gun laws to prohibit the carrying of firearms in sensitive locations. I urge the Governor and the members of the state legislature to review our laws and make adjustments to protect the safety of our citizens,” said Congressman Thompson.

According to the opinion issued by the State Attorney General, people with enhanced carry gun permits can carry their weapons into polling places, meetings of governmental entities, schools, college athletic events, parades, and inside the passenger terminal of an airport. The opinion, written to the City of Corinth, outlines places where the Mississippi statute authorize a person with an enhanced permit to carry regardless of signage posted by a state governmental entity.

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