(WJTV)- Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has signed an executive order temporarily suspending open carry for Jackson residents in an effort to lessen the occurrence of violent crimes during the COVID-19 civil emergency. The result of Lumumba’s decision comes after an 11-year-old and a 5-year old were killed one week apart due to gun violence in the city.
In a video released Friday, Mayor Lumumba called for a repeal of Mississippi’s Open Carry Law, citing that the law prevents community members from feeling safe and interferes with law enforcement’s ability to remove illegal guns.
“Many of these killings could have been avoided if we had a state law that enabled us to better control the presence of firearms on our streets,” said Lumumba. “Prior to the open carry law when Jackson officers saw a gun in plain view it gave them the probable cause to cease the weapon and determine whether it was an illegal weapon or not.
The open carry law not only provides protection to individuals who are armed with illegal weapons, but it also creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the community. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that the open carry law has led to an increase in gun violence into our communities.“ READ MORE
