Also Right to Hunt & Fish Constitutional Amendment Will Appear on November Ballot
The 2014 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature was another successful one for NRA members. Thanks to your persistent constituent contact and the outstanding pro-Second Amendment leadership of Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves (R) and House Speaker Philip Gunn (R), several key NRA-backed measures were passed and signed into law by Governor Phil Bryant (R) and take effect tomorrow:
House Bill 314, sponsored by state Representative Andy Gipson (R-Braxton) in the House and managed by state Senators Briggs Hopson (R-Vicksburg) and Sean Tindell (R-Gulfport) in the Senate, makes critical reforms to the state’s firearms preemption and emergency powers laws. This bill expands protections against the confiscation of legally-possessed firearms during a state of emergency or natural disaster, preserves the rights of residents of public housing to lawfully own and possess firearms, clarifies limits on the authority of municipalities and counties to restrict the carrying of firearms, establishes remedies for citizens who are adversely impacted by local ordinances enacted outside the scope of this authority, and prohibits the destruction of firearms acquired by local governments as a result of gun “buyback” programs. House Bill 314 was signed into law on March 27.
House Bill 764, sponsored by state Representative Joey Hood (R-Ackerman) in the House and handled by Senate Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks Committee Chairman Giles Ward (R-Louisville) in the Senate, exempts disabled veterans from initial and renewal concealed carry permit application fees. House Bill 764 was signed into law on March 6.
Senate Bill 2425, sponsored by state Senator Philip Moran (R-Kiln) in the Senate and carried by state Representative Jeff Smith (R-Columbus) in the House, creates an annual tax-free weekend on the individual sales of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and certain hunting supplies. This year’s “sales tax holiday” will take place on September 5-7. Be sure to visit Mississippi retailers during this time and stock up on hunting and shooting supplies for the fall! Senate Bill 2425 was signed into law on April 2.
Vote YES on Amendment No. 1 – Right to Hunt & Fish ballot measure this November: In 2012, lawmakers approved placing a proposed constitutional amendment to the 2014 ballot establishing that individuals have a right to hunt and fish. It states that public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing wildlife and requires that state laws and agency rules pertaining to hunting and fishing meet the purpose of “wildlife conservation and management.” Amendment 1 would prevent anti-sporting organizations, whose publicly-stated goal is to end hunting, from advancing policies that have no basis in science or biology. Through lawsuits and on the ballot, these groups have managed to end bear, cougar and dove hunting, including deer hunting in certain areas, in a number of states. You can help protect Mississippi’s strong hunting traditions for future generations by supporting Amendment No. 1: House Concurrent Resolution 30 on November 4! NRA-ILA will be posting more information to members over the balance of the summer and fall on this critical measure.
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