Mississippi Supreme Court says judges cannot ban concealed guns

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

POLITICS JUNE 7, 2018 / 6:37 PM / UPDATED 17 HOURS AGO

Mississippi Supreme Court says judges cannot ban concealed guns

Jonathan Stempel
3 MIN READ

(Reuters) - A divided Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that some local judges acted unconstitutionally by banning people with enhanced concealed-carry licenses from taking guns into their courthouses.

The court said judges of the 14th Chancery District, which includes six counties in eastern central Mississippi, exceeded their authority under the state constitution because only the legislature could regulate or forbid the carrying of concealed weapons.

“The orders at issue usurp that power,” Justice Michael Randolph wrote for a five-justice Supreme Court majority. “No matter how well-intentioned, judges are without power to limit enhanced concealed-carry licensees’ rights to carry a firearm beyond courtrooms in the State of Mississippi.”

A 2011 law allowed people with enhanced concealed-carry licenses to take firearms into Mississippi state courthouses, though judges could ban the weapons from courtrooms.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mississippi-guns/mississippi-supreme-court-says-judges-cannot-ban-concealed-guns-idUSKCN1J331V

[rickford66]

1. 10 ... 9 ... 8 ...

[kimbutgar]

2. That ruling might come back to haunt the Mississippi Supreme Court if a judge is murdered in court

By an irate defendant.

[DetlefK]

4. The history of the US only proves that nobody cares about gun-deaths. Any gun-deaths.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

Somebody gets shot, thoughts&prayers, arguing, back to normal.

[The Mouth]

7. Naming my cats 'Thoughts' and 'Prayers'

because they don't do anything.

[gejohnston]

9. said defendent would not have a carry permit to

begin with. If it is a felony, it would be a federal (and probably state) crime for him to possess one anywhere at all.

[underthematrix]

3. We should test that theory

Link to tweet

[unblock]

5. this is pretty stupid.

judges can ban guns from their court*rooms*, but not from the court*house*.

so if a courthouse has three courtrooms in it, then they need to have three sets of metal detectors and staff, instead of just one.

so basically the decision says that the right of enhanced concealed-carry license holders to carry a gun specifically in the courthouse but outside of a courtroom outweighs the state's additional practical expenses as well as the security of the courthouse personnel, including court*room* personnel who no doubt need step outside the courtroom from time to time.


more fundamentally, the decision says that the court can do nothing to protect itself or any of the participants in the legal process beyond the reach of the interior walls of the courtroom. they can't protect witnesses or the jury pool (until they enter the courtroom), for instance, and to hell with staff.

courts should respond by declaring the lobby to be a courtroom so everyone has to pass through it and a single security point.

[gejohnston]

8. statistically,

CWP holders are on average more law abiding and responsible than cops. If there is a threat, it will come from someone who is not legally carrying and probably not legally possessing either.
Every courthouse I have ever been in the past 20 years has a single entry point.

It is only stupid if it is inconsistent with the state constitution.

[unblock]

10. Completely irrelevant.

That has zero to do with the question of whether judges' right to ban guns should limited to the building where they work or to the room where they work.

[gejohnston]

11. true, but

they don't. The law specifically says courtroom.

I was referring to your conflating members of the shooting sports with violent criminals, I simply pointed out that the two are statistically mutually exclusive.

more fundamentally, the decision says that the court can do nothing to protect itself or any of the participants in the legal process beyond the reach of the interior walls of the courtroom. they can't protect witnesses or the jury pool (until they enter the courtroom), for instance, and to hell with staff

https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2018/06/07/mississippi-supreme-court-judges-cant-regulate-concealed-guns-in-courthouse-bnx/

[unblock]

12. I'm talking about walls and the practicality of security

I said nothing about shooting sports or violent criminals.

But as you've brought it up, I'll note that your claim that those to category is mutually exclusive makes no sense.

There's no way that there are zero people who are but members of the shooting sports and violent criminals. Not mutually exclusive.

Not that that has anything to do with anything I wrote....

By the way, the risks of guns in public places isn't only from violent criminals, aka "bad guys". Accidents happens. Temporary rage happens. Stress happens. Bad days and bad outcomes happen.

[gejohnston]

13. I said statistically

you implied that a CCW with an instructors license would be a serious or likely threat. That is (statistically) absurd.
Accidents are extremely rare, mostly due to negligence. Guns simply do not just go off. Before you get to temporary rage, there is a history of violence. People just don't go off the deep end. Basing policy on extremely improbable situations (especially when it comes to individual liberty) is illiberal and logically inconsistent, unless you are going to ban high school football which on average kills more kids than school shootings (brain injuries).

Either way, the ruling was legally correct. Changing the law is for people in Mississippi to debate.

[unblock]

14. i think you're trying to debate someone else.

you keep making points to argue against things i didn't say.

for instance, "... mostly due to negligence. guns do not just go off." well, duh, i didn't say otherwise, and that changes nothing.

the judges were trying to ban guns from the courthouse. all guns (except perhaps for authorized police/courthouse personnel). i mentioned concealed carry license holders only because the decision did, they were the aggrieved party. but the court wasn't singling them out, they were trying to ban everyone from having guns in the courthouse. so whatever statements you care to make about concealed carry license holders and gun statistics are really not relevant.

oh, and "people just don't go off the deep end" is not at all reassuring, because how the hell am i supposed to know the history of violence or lack thereof of someone else? how do i know if he's no threat because he's well rested, emotionally stable, in a happy state of life and well-being, etc., or if he's been swallowing angry for the last 20 years and feels like the walls of his life are closing in on him and is ready to explode?

statistically, schools are still incredibly safe, yet we're talking about all kinds of precautions.
statistically, air travel is extremely safe, yet we investigate the crap out of every incident and take corrective measures.

[gejohnston]

15. I was reading between the lines

how you say it says as much as what you say.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

6. Question on a possibly complicating issue

Does anyone know if Mississippi allows warning shots?
Probably not a good idea inside a courthouse.