Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed an amicus curiae, or friend of the court brief, in federal court today, reaffirming our constitutional right to bear arms, supporting our State laws that protect that right, and seeking to overturn Jackson’s unlawful order.
“Jackson has no authority to suspend open carry and it is shameful to use the current crisis as a pretext to revoke the constitutional rights of the people,” said General Fitch. “I stand ready to protect our rights and defend our laws.”
General Fitch wrote Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba on Sunday, April 26, demanding that he revoke his order, noting he had no authority to issue it in the first place. General Fitch’s brief is attached. Notable excerpts include:
- “It is difficult to imagine a more blatant disregard for constitutional freedoms and the right to possess a firearm, guaranteed by the United States and Mississippi Constitutions.”
- ” The right to openly carry is fundamental. The City’s wholesale ban on this conduct severely – completely -burdens this fundamental right.”
- “[G]iven the Mayor’s long-standing and well-documented opposition to Mississippians right to open carry, it is abundantly clear that the order serves as a pretext to achieve a goal he has sought for years, a repeal of the right to open carry. The Order exploits a global health crisis to advance a policy goal that is unauthorized by law. It cannot stand.
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Release from Attorney General Lynn Fitch.