EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Mississippi lawmakers have released few significant policy proposals as they prepare for their three-month session that begins Tuesday.
This is an election year, and most of the 122 House members and 52 senators will put their names on the ballot to seek a new four-year term. A few lawmakers are retiring, and a few are pursuing statewide offices.
Some of those trying to return to the Capitol are likely to remain relatively quiet in hopes of not attracting an opponent. Candidates’ qualifying deadline is March 1, about two-thirds of the way through the session.
Some lawmakers, though, could offer bills designed to grab headlines and generate buzz on social media.
Guns and abortion are reliable attention-getters in Mississippi.
Gun rights are a big deal in a socially conservative state where generations grow up deer hunting and many people want firearms to protect themselves and their property. Republicans, Democrats and independents campaign on being staunch supporters of the Second Amendment, and many boast about having high ratings from the National Rifle Association.
One of the most outspoken supporters of pro-gun legislation in recent years has left the Mississippi Legislature. Republican Andy Gipson served a decade in the state House before GOP Gov. Phil Bryant chose him last spring to fill a vacancy as state agriculture commissioner.
Among the gun bills Gipson sponsored was the “Mississippi Church Protection Act” which became law in 2016. It said churches or other places of worship could designate members to receive firearms training to provide security for their congregations. It also allowed people to carry holstered weapons without a permit, making Mississippi the ninth state to have such a law, according to the NRA. During the bill signing ceremony, Bryant had a holstered
