JACKSON, Miss.–Whether you like to target practice, hunt, or you just love to take your pistol or rifle out to pop off a few rounds to let off stress, your ammo purchases are the aim of state Rep. Omaria Scott (D-Laurel), who believes that tracking ammunition purchases could be a big step in bringing down gun crimes in Mississippi.
The big issue in last year’s legislative session was open carry. Now Republicans, like Gov. Bryant, say any anti-gun bills introduced this year will very likely get an overwhelming rejection by the Republican House, Republican Senate and the Republican governor.
Scott told media Tuesday that she believes people buying bulk ammunition could be doing “something shady”.
The bill would get your name, social, and all your personal contact info and match it with the type and amount of ammo you buy. It would also make your purchases public record.
“The government does not have the right to know how many guns or how much ammo I possess,” said House Speaker Phillip Gunn (R-Clinton). “The bills that are being pushed in the Mississippi Legislature forcing registration of ammo are dead on arrival in the House. We will always stand on the side of constitutional rights of gun owners.”
Gov. Bryant had a similar viewpoint.
“Any bills that attempt to track ammunition, seize weapons or otherwise infringe upon the right of Mississippians to keep and bear arms are a frontal assault on the Second Amendment. I will not stand by and allow gun owner rights to be trampled in this state, and I will immediately veto such bills if they reach my desk,” he said in a statement.
So far, though, no one in the state or the country, or the world, for that matter has come up with a solution to effectively fight gun violence. In Mississippi, cities like Meridian, Greenville, Gulfport and Jackson routinely see shootings and murders and state lawmakers have been both reactionary and methodical in trying to find ways to stop it.
For pro-gun people any effort to track or stop gun or ammo purchases has been met with staunch opposition. The Second Amendment has traditionally been strictly interpreted in Mississippi, and gun rights advocates have traditionally had the support of lawmakers and the administration.
For many state Democrats, even those who carry themselves, putting more limits on gun ownership and where you can carry has been seen as a path to stopping gun violence.
