Bill: Let People Sue Over Gun-Carry Bans On Public Property

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – Some public property is often labeled gun free, but a new bill in Mississippi looks to change that.

House Bill 1083 would allow Mississippians with certain gun licenses to sue government bodies for declaring public property gun-free.

The bill, passed today by the House, is on it’s way to the senate for more debate.

Although the attorney general’s office would be required to investigate all complaints, representatives say the bill gives a residents a process to challenge bans.

Mississippi State’s President Mark Keenum released a statement today expressing his concerns for the possible legislation.

“We have a fundamental responsibility to protect our students, faculty, staff and visitors to our campus. In recent years, the Mississippi Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning adopted policies to allow concealed weapons into ‘public’ venues on campus, but has not allowed firearms into areas determined ‘non-public’ such as classrooms and residence halls. We have great concerns about the prospect of a broad expansion of the existing IHL policies regarding firearms being brought onto campus because of the increased risk it would pose for every member of our campus community,” says Keenum.

He continued, ”I believe that a majority of the parents of the outstanding young people we are entrusted with educating and nurturing share my concerns about the passage of this bill and with it the introduction of firearms into our classrooms and our residence halls.”