JACKSON, Miss.–For some businesses in Mississippi, guns are not part of the atmosphere they want. But, part of Mississippi’s gun law allows you to carry a gun, whether they have a sign posted or not. Now those signs must quote Mississippi code, saying that if you have an enhanced-carry permit, you can still have your gun.
It may seem a bit confusing, but there are two tiers of permits in Mississippi. With a concealed-carry permit, the lower level, you cannot carry where a business does not want you to, if they post a sign.
With an enhanced-carry permit, you can carry it, but there is now some question as to whether you might be successfully prosecuted for trespassing.
“You’re not gonna get a gun charge if you carry there,” said Steven Staboulia, a Mississippi gun rights attorney. But, the trespassing charge has not been tested in court.
“The way that the sign reads puts you on notice that they don’t want guns. So, if we have a prosecutor that takes that track, I think that they can make a good argument that you were on notice, so we don’t have to ask you to leave.”
Many businesses and county buildings are now scrambling to conform to the new rules and put up new signs as specified by House Bill 314.
