MS Coast leaders demand solutions after teenager’s shooting. Could parents turn in guns?

Angry and heartbroken from another shooting that left a Gulfport teenager dead, some local leaders are asking a new question about how the violence can be stopped.

What if parents who find their children’s guns could turn the weapons in to police, no questions asked, without fear of arrest?

The idea is controversial. But fueled by years of anguish over the senseless violence, some leaders say it could make a difference.

“We’ve lost countless unnecessary lives,” said State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III, D-Gulfport, who said he will propose the idea next legislative session. “We’ve got to come up with a program that is different than what we have right now.”

The latest tragedy occurred last weekend, when police arrested a 14-year-old who is now accused of killing 16-year-old Charlie “CJ” Fairley on Sunday afternoon.

If a parent knows they have amnesty, they could bring a gun “straight to the police station,” said House Minority Leader Robert Johnson III, who said he will support the idea when the legislature returns in January. “It’s a program to try to help get more guns off the street.”

Gulfport Police Lt. Jason DuCré said amnesty is complicated. Police say parents who see guns stashed in their children’s bedrooms or wielded on social media should turn the weapons in. Authorities also must investigate if a surrendered weapon is reported stolen or was used in a crime. If a parent turns in a weapon later traced to a homicide, DuCré said, “does that get the kid out of a murder charge?”

Others contend the step could be one effective piece of a larger puzzle.

“Will they get all of the guns? No,” said John Whitfield, a pastor and who leads the nonprofit Climb CDC. “But if they get one gun off the street, that’s worth it.”

“I pray that it will be something that helps,” said Gulfport Councilwoman Ella Holmes-Hines. “But this requires a comprehensive view. You have to know – why did a child need a gun in the first place?”

MS Coast leaders demand change

In recent years, law enforcement agencies from Hawaii to Georgia have sponsored events where people can give up unwanted guns anonymously in exchange for cash or gift cards. The Philadelphia City Council in December decided to explore a step further: A “consent-to-search” program in which homeowners could let police search their homes for firearms stashed by family members in exchange for full amnesty if police find illegal weapons.

Gulfport destroyed hundreds of guns in 2000 as part of a buyback program funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program later ended because money ran out and law enforcement grew concerned they could not investigate guns tied to crimes, Whitfield recalled.

Across the country, some argue the programs do little to curb gun violence because the weapons dropped off are not likely to be used in crimes. Others say the programs help when they are part of a larger effort to invest in community safety. The problem, DuCré said, is “bad guys don’t want to turn in guns.”

Still, city and state leaders said something new must be done. The tragedy on Sunday killed Fairley, a student at Harrison Central High School. Police said the shooting followed a fist fight that broke out in the 13000 block of Robindale Road. Police found Fairley in the street with a gunshot wound to his abdomen, then flew him by helicopter to Mobile, where he died.

It was the second shooting that left a local teenager dead this summer. Gulfport Police found another 16-year-old, Christopher Brown, with a gunshot wound in the 100 block of Darby Street one early morning in June. No arrests have been made in the case. Gulfport police also arrested four teenagers in June who allegedly exchanged gunfire that also hit an unmarked detective’s vehicle. And on Wednesday, authorities arrested a teenager accused of twice calling Harrison Central with threats to “shoot up” the school.

Hulum said the tragedies should force people to reckon with hard truths. He said he hears from parents who fear they could be arrested for allowing a minor to have, own or carry a firearm – a misdemeanor charge that can lead to a $1,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail.

Hulum said he would explore an idea where a parent could turn in a recovered gun to a secure lock box at a law enforcement agency or fire department. He acknowledged the hazards but said he would work with law enforcement to sort them out. He compared the idea to a law passed last year that allows parents who cannot care for newborns to surrender them to secure, climate-controlled boxes at local hospitals and fire departments.

“A person can go turn a baby in at the hospital now,” he said. “Let’s save all lives. Let’s save unnecessary deaths.”

Guns are danger to youth

Parents who turn in a child’s gun will not be charged unless there is proof the adult gave the child the weapon or knew the child was using it, DuCré said. He said it is rare that parents call the police department with those requests. Risk of charges for a juvenile is entirely dependent on the situation, DuCré said.

He argued the problem is deeply rooted, and unlikely to be solved by taking guns off the street during amnesty or buyback programs.

“The younger culture thinks it’s cool to carry guns,” he said. “They don’t understand the consequences of pulling the trigger.”

Hulum and Johnson say the proposal would not infringe on the right of law-abiding citizens to carry guns, and would be written so it would not hamper police’s ability to investigate crimes.

Police say most guns that fall into children’s hands are stolen from unlocked cars. Authorities argue that simply locking cars could help stop theft. But they say the first step is for parents to hold children accountable.

Holmes-Hines said any such measure should happen with a host of other improvements. She said parents should better secure weapons they legally keep in homes. The city needs more youth programs with coaches and volunteers that engage children, she said, especially during school breaks when parents cannot take time off work.

“Removing a gun is not going to solve the problem of what’s happening in that child’s mind,” Holmes-Hines said. “This has got to be a comprehensive review. It’s got to be. We have seen enough that we know what we are doing is not working.”