Mississippi: Thank Your State Representatives For Passing Key Pro-Gun Reforms in SB 2619 and SB 2394; it is Critical that You Urge Your State Senators To Do The Same!

On Friday, the House adopted conference committee reports on Senate Bill 2619, sponsored by state Senator Haskins Montgomery, and Senate Bill 2394,sponsored by state Senator Terry Burton (designated as a priority legislative agenda item by Lt. Governor Tate Reeves).  These two measures make critical pro-Second Amendment reforms and passed the House by strong 98 to 18 and 103 to 15 margins, respectively.  Details on the pro-gun provisions included in these conference reports are available for SB 2619 and SB 2394, or by reading the summary below.  Generally, these important bills recognize the service of our veterans and men and women in the Armed Forces, reduce the cost and burden on civilians who carry firearms for personal protection, and ensure that our right to purchase, own and possess firearms and ammunition are not infringed upon through federal rulemaking or overreach by local governments.  Now, gun control advocates from out of state are urging Senators NOT to give final approval to these measures!

Here's what you need to do TODAY to help (lawmakers WILL be meeting both Saturday & Sunday this weekend):

1. Contact Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves at [email protected], let him know you appreciate him making SB 2394 one of his legislative priorities, and urge him to lead the Senate in giving final approval to SB 2619 and SB 2394.  You can also reach him via Facebook and Twitter.

2. Contact your State Senators and urge them to take final action on SB 2619 and SB 2394.  Contact information for State Senators can be found here.  Be sure to thank the members of the Senate below who served on the conference committees for these two bills: 

Senator Haskins Montgomery
[email protected]

Senator Phillip Gandy
[email protected]

Senator Phillip Moran
[email protected]

Senator Nancy Collins
[email protected]

Senator Terry Burton
[email protected]

Senator John Polk
[email protected]

3. Contact House Speaker Philip Gunn at [email protected] or via Facebook and Twitter, as well as the House members below who served on the conference committees for SB 2619 and SB 2394, and thank them all for their support. 

Representative Andy Gipson
[email protected]

Representative Sam Mims
[email protected]

Representative Joey Hood
[email protected]

Representative John Moore
[email protected]

Representative Becky Currie
[email protected]

4. Thank your State Representative for their support if he or she voted YES on SB 2619 and SB 2394.  Contact information for them can be found here.

Conference Report on SB 2619

• Streamlines requirements for an enhanced carry permit endorsement for active military personnel, honorably discharged veterans or retired law enforcement if they have already completed law enforcement or combat training with handguns as part of their service.

• Exempts members or veterans of the National Guard or Reserve units from state’s residency requirement for a regular concealed carry permit.

• Removes a prohibition in state law that could leave tens of thousands of Mississippians who currently and lawfully own commonly-used rifle ammunition for hunting, target shooting and self-defense vulnerable to prosecution if federal regulations governing certain projectiles are amended by administrative fiat and without any approval from Congress.

• Makes clarifying changes to the state firearms preemption statute in light of a recent Attorney General opinion, bringing the law into line with the intent of HB 314 from the 2014 session relative to where cities and counties cannot ban enhanced carry permit holders (parks, governmental meetings and non-firearm athletic events).

Conference Report on SB 2394

• Reduces fees for an original regular concealed carry permit from $100 to $80, for a renewed concealed carry permit from $50 to $40, and exempts active duty military personnel from any application fees.  Renewal fees for senior citizens will also drop from $25 to $20.

• Establishes a special classification of carry permit for honorably retired law enforcement officers and honorably retired correctional officers who provide letters from their respective agency or department confirming their status and completion of a certified law enforcement training academy.

• Clarifies that a state-issued permit is not necessary for the transportation of non-holstered pistols or revolvers in bags, briefcases or other fully enclosed cases.