Chokwe Lumumba, the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, is facing a lawsuit for putting a total ban on the open carry of firearms during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mississippi AG: “The Right To Keep And Bear Arms Is A Natural Right”
Following a declaration of a state of emergency by BLANK, the Governor of Mississippi, Mayor Lumumba declared that this gave him the right to ban the open carry of firearms in Jackson. However, Lumumba was warned by Lynn Fitch, the Attorney General of Mississippi, in a letter that the order was completely unconstitutional.
“The Governor’s Proclamation does not authorize you to suspend the right to open carry, or any other statute or constitutional provision governing firearm possession,” Lynn wrote in the letter. “While the Order seeks to suspend the ‘open carry of firearms,’ it does not identify any specific statute or statutes that it seeks to suspend. The right to keep and bear arms is a natural right, enshrined in the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Mississippi.”
The Attorney General further ordered Lumumba to immediately rescind the order, however, he refused.
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‘A Serious Pandemic Is Not An Opportunity For Unconstitutional Virtue Signalling’
On Tuesday, after Lumumba did not reverse the order, a lawsuit was filed in federal court by the Mississippi Justice Institute on the behalf of State Representative Dana Chriswell.
“A serious pandemic is not an opportunity for unconstitutional virtue signaling by grandstanding politicians,” argued Aaron Rice, the Director of the Mississippi Justice Institute. “Mayor Lumumba has exploited the present public health crisis as a pretext to target law abiding people who are exercising their constitutional rights.”
Chriswell herself said that she was “shocked” by Lumumba’s announcement.
“I take the protection of myself and my family very seriously and believe deeply in the constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” Chriswell added, arguing that, “the mayor’s attempt to disarm me and deny me the ability of self-defense puts me and my family in danger anytime we are in Jackson.”
The lawsuit seems likely to have the backing of the attorney general and of others in the state. I, for one, hope it succeeds, as those who try and crush the Second Amendment in times of crisis need to be shown that they cannot get away with their unconstitutional regulations.