Litigation
Chief U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Mississippi issued a consent decree last week in the case filed by MS Rep. Dana Criswell (R-Olive Branch) against the City of Jackson and its mayor, ordering the City to never again act on its own to restrict the right to openly carry a firearm. The City chose not to fight the obviously losing battle, initiated when Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba lost his mind and decreed that he “suspended” state law and the state constitution. The federal consent decree, which was effective immediately, stipulates that “The City of Jackson, by and through its Mayor, its City Council, or its other officials, agents, employees, successors and all persons in active concert or participation with it shall not adopt any orders, resolutions, ordinances, policies, or practices which have the purpose or effect of directly or indirectly prohibiting, restricting, or inhibiting the open carry of firearms, unless a statute or law of the State of Mississippi is adopted or amended to specifically prohibit, restrict, or inhibit the open carry of firearms in Mississippi, or to specifically authorize municipalities to do so, and such statute or law is not held violative of the United States Constitution or the Mississippi Constitution by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
Clearly Mayor Lumumba’s second-rate law degree should be rescinded because either it’s no good or he isn’t using it.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit this week upheld the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s new case-by-case permitting policy for the importation of endangered and threatened wildlife. This approach replaces all-out bans for those species.
The U.S. Supreme Court released its orders from the June 11, 2020 conference. No Second Amendment cases were re-listed for consideration. There will be no Second Amendment cases reviewed this term; all were rejected and denied certiorari. Justice Roberts remains at fault and Justice Kavanaugh showed his colors. Is Kavanaugh aiming to be the next swing vote on the Court? The fact that four justices who complained that the court needed to hear Second Amendment cases passed on 10 chances to do so tells us much about the court’s ‘swing vote.’ The conservative justices don’t trust Roberts with the Second Amendment. This is why it is SO important to get at least one more conservative on the court.
“We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!”
– tweet from Pres. Trump this week
Mississippi gun bills update
Summary of remaining gun related bills. NOT guaranteed complete.
Next deadline: July 2 to CONCUR OR NOT CONCUR in AMENDMENTS from OTHER HOUSE to GENERAL bills and CONSTITUTIONAL amendments.
http://www.legislature.ms.gov/legislation/
HB 1018
By: Rep. C. Scott Bounds (R)
Amended version PASSED House AND Senate
Goes to Governor
Requires LEO ID numbers or enhanced CCW permit numbers, instead of names, to be placed on church minutes for the church protection act civil immunity for armed security teams.
HB 1215 (DEAD)
By: Reps. Shane Barnett, Chris Brown (20th), Fred Shanks (all R)
Committee Substitute PASSED House
DIED in Senate Jud. B; Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency
Provides that “No state agency may adopt a rule or regulation or enter into any contract or rental agreement that restricts the possession, carrying, transportation, sale, transfer or ownership of firearms or ammunition or their components.” Contains an exemption for Dept. of Wildlife hunting regs. and for state universities, and provides civil liability for responsible public officials violating this section.
HB 1309
By: Rep. Joey Hood (R)
PASSED House
Amended version PASSED Senate
Goes to conference
Allows hunters to use air bows for deer, turkey and small game. The original bill allowed the use of air bows only by disabled hunters during archery season for deer, but was amended to allow any hunter licensed for archery or primitive weapons deer hunting to use them. The amended bill is opposed by the Mississippi Bowhunters Association and other “purists” (fascists) who for some reason are bothered by how other people hunt. The purists seem to think that everyone else should have to hunt only in ways dictated by the purists. This is by no means a new phenomenon. I am a freedom purist and instead think that generally there should be no restrictions on hunting weapons or ammunition as long as they are used safely and don’t violate other laws.
HC 42
By: Reps. Representatives Criswell, Brown (20th), Hopkins, Owen, Arnold, Barnett, Boyd, Byrd, Carpenter, Darnell, Eubanks, Hale, Kinkade, Mangold, Morgan, Newman, Rushing, Scoggin, Wallace
Ref: Rules
House Concurrent Resolution (non binding) declaring Mississippi a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” state.
SB 2225
By: Sen. Joseph Seymour (R)
PASSED: Senate
Amended version PASSED House
Goes to conference
Provides that disabled military veterans applying for a CCW license and fee exemption can provide a veterans health services identification card issued by the VA indicating a service-connected disability, as proof of such service-connected disability, instead of providing “verification” from the VA.
SC 552
By: Sen. Chris McDaniel (R)
Ref: Rules
Senate Concurrent Resolution (non binding) expressing legislative intent relative to the Second Amendment, Tenth Amendment, and preemption of MS law relative to intrastate firearms activities.
Federal legislation
Government spends billions on public land and water projects.
BATmen
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) says that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (and really big fires) has been secretly working on restricting the popular and legal pistol stabilizing braces commonly used with MSR-type pistols.
Virus
COVID-19 has triggered the cancellation of two late-summer Mississippi outdoor related events, the Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza and the Mississippi Outdoor Expo.
NRA
Report from behind enemy lines: NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre said “numerous times that [NRA outside counsel] Mr. Brewer was the only person that was going to keep him out of jail.”
Enemies
The Only Ones
Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe was charged with capital murder after he fatally shot a man who was holding a Taser he had snatched from officers but who was also over 18 feet distant and was running away at the time. Other serious charges were also lodged against Rolfe in the incident. Officer Rolfe reportedly said in his initial statements that he saw a flash and heard a report as the suspect pointed something gun-like (the Taser) at him, causing him to draw and fire. But it looks like Rolfe knew it was a Taser and not a firearm. And just a couple of weeks ago, the DA in Atlanta who’s currently charging Officer Rolfe charged other police officers with aggravated assault for using a Taser on protesters, reportedly saying that “A Taser is considered a deadly weapon under Georgia law.” As usual, we don’t yet know the full story. Meanwhile CNN reported that Atlanta police officers are not responding to calls in three zones, according to multiple sources within the Atlanta Police Department.
The Edwards, MS Police Department is closed for two days as the department waits on results from coronavirus tests after the city was notified of a possible COVID-19 case within the department. The local (Hinds) county sheriff’s department will police the area during the shutdown.
Louisville, KY police officers killed a non-threatening person during a no-knock home invasion. The released police report is reportedly nearly blank.
And another incomplete report of an unidentified officer-involved killing of an unarmed motorist in Missouri. Note that although the cops said the deceased had a gun and threatened the officer, no gun was found.
An NBC News investigation of Santa Clara County, CA, Sheriff Laurie Smith (R) found that there were 749 new applications for a carry permit in the 2014-2018 time period. Applicants who were not donors to the sheriff’s re-election campaign had about a 5.5% chance of obtaining a permit. However, the 28 applicants who donated either directly or indirectly had a permit issuance rate of 79%.
The “21-foot rule.” Old article, 2 parts (part 1 & part 2).
Workplace Violence Prevention: Readiness and Response.
Be wise
In the past week, central Mississippi has seen separate incidents of a 77-year-old deputy sheriff and an 85-year-old private security guard murdered on the job. As a near-senior citizen myself, I question the wisdom of employing folks of that age in those positions. Instead, if those folks were good at their jobs, perhaps they would have been better utilized as trainers, advisers and leaders of the big, fast, powerful 28-year-old officers.
Everything’s bigger in Texas
Including Texas DPS Trooper Drew Stoner’s heart.
Obit
Joseph Tartaro, president of the Second Amendment Foundation and a recognized giant in the firearms media and Second Amendment movement died June 13, 2020 following a brief bout with cancer. He was 89. I once met Mr. Joe. He was a good guy.
Fun
Things your dad says
Products
Winchester Ammunition has introduced its new Wildcat Super Speed ammo in .22 Long Rifle with a copper-plated Dynapoint hollow-point bullet at 1300 fps.
S&W now offers a tuned Performance Center M&P9 Shield EZ, the model the company built for shooters who prefer easier-to-rack handguns. The 9mm pistol comes with the usual PC enhancements and the barrel, trigger, and grip safety come (as a package) in your choice of black, silver or gold color. With or without manual thumb safety. $588.
“We worship a man of color murdered by keepers of the law.”
– church sign