Pro-gun advocates rip Mississippi mayor for suspending open-carry law during pandemic
While some cities have seen a decline in violent crimes amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mississippi’s largest city is struggling to get a handle on it.
That’s why Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is suspending the open carry of firearms in his city — a decision that has angered pro-gun advocates across the state who accuse him of violating the constitutional rights of local citizens.
In a video message posted April 24, Lumumba announced he had signed an executive order temporarily halting open carry laws as long as there’s a public health emergency related to the virus, the Clarion Ledger reported. Lumumba pointed to a recent spate of deadly shootings, including two that claimed the lives of a 5-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.
“In the space of just one week, two innocent children have lost their lives due to senseless gun violence,” he says in the video. “For too long, gun violence has plagued our city and disproportionately affected black and brown communities here in Jackson and nationwide.”
“Many of these killings,” Lumumba added, “could’ve been avoided if we had state law that enabled us to better control the presence of firearms on our streets.”
The largely African American city, which has nearly 165,000 residents, according to the most recent census data, has seen a number of fatal shootings this month, including five shootings that occurred in a span of just four hours, Jackson station WLBT reported.
The mayor’s executive order, signed April 22, will remain in effect until Thursday, April 30, though there’s a possibility it could be extended under the city’s current shelter-in-place order, according to the Clarion Ledger.
Lumumba has criticized the state’s open carry law, which applies to anyone over 18 who can legally possess a firearm, as long as the weapon is secured “in a holster, sheath or scabbard that’s at least partially visible above clothing anywhere where guns are not otherwise prohibited,” the newspaper reports.
The mayor said that while he supports the Second Amendment, open carry has made it tougher for law enforcement to get illegal firearms off the streets.
“The City of Jackson faces a significant challenge with illegal guns,” Lumumba said in the video, explaining that, “Prior to the open carry law, when Jackson police officers saw a gun in plain view, it gave them probable cause to seize the weapon and determine if it was an illegal weapon or not. The open carry law not only provides protection to individuals who are armed with illegal weapons, it creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the community.”
Lumamba is also seeking to repeal Mississippi’s open carry law. An online petition launched Friday already has 81 signatures.
“We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that the open carry law has led to an increase in gun violence in our communities,” the mayor added.
Lumumba’s order, made possible via a Mississippi state statute, drew the ire of Republicans including Sen. Chris McDaniel. In a Facebook post shared Saturday, McDaniel called the move a “terrible policy decision” and accused Lumumba of trying to “trample” residents’ rights to bear arms.
“Mayor Lumumba has no power to trample on the Second Amendment,” the senator wrote. “Despite his attempted power grab, he absolutely can’t block legal carry of lawfully owned firearms. Instead of dictating unconstitutional actions, he would be better served to finally repair the city’s potholes, help reduce violent crime against innocent victims and perhaps balance a budget for a change.”
Lynn Fitch, Mississippi’s state attorney general, also decried the move, arguing that cities don’t have the power to “usurp the authority of the State’s elected Legislature and violate the Constitutional rights of the people,” according to her recent Twitter post. In a letter dated April 26, Fitch demanded that Lumumba rescind the order.
Lumumba pushed back against the attorney’s objections: “Under State Statute45-17-7(e), 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,” he said in the video.
“While this order will only be in effect for a short period of time, I am calling on all Jackson residents, and all state and local leaders to act in the interest of our innocent children,” the mayor concluded. “How many babies do we have to bury to appease someone’s desire to open carry?”
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 3:31 PM.