(Photo Source: MS.Gov)

Paul and Jarrad discuss the progress that Mississippi has made over the last decade to go from a state with a broadly accepted Castle Doctrine and “Shall Issue” concealed carry permit system to Constitutional Carry.

At air time, the MS Governor, Phil Bryant, was expected to sign the bill and make it law.

We have more Slave State news from the People’s Republik of New York where they are on their way to criminalizing the possession of a machete.

Finally, during our Crossbreed Holsters SOTG Homeroom segment, Paul and Jarrad extend the invitation to visit with them during upcoming live events.

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From www.guns.com:

Falling short of a direct ban on the home and garden tool, lawmakers in the Senate passed a bill to include machetes within the definition of a deadly weapon.

The measure, introduced in February, would make criminal possession of a machete a crime with a penalty of up to a year in prison. The bill passed the Senate Tuesday in a 54-5 vote and is now headed to the Assembly.

Sponsors argue machetes should have been classified as a weapon long ago.

“Despite the obvious serious injury that can be caused by the use of a machete, such weapons have not been included in the penal law’s definition of ‘deadly weapon,’” wrote Sen. Tony Avella, a Democrat from Queens, in a memo to lawmakers.

“This oversight is surprising given the common knowledge that machetes have often been used as weapons and are actually defined as such in Webster’s dictionary – ‘Machete – a large heavy knife used for cutting sugarcane and underbrush and as a weapon,’” said Avella.

The bill, S.3199A, adds machetes to the list of deadly weapons in the state to include switchblade, gravity and ballistic knives, daggers, metal or plastic knuckles, and billy clubs and blackjacks. Possession of which would be a misdemeanor crime resulting in as much as a year in jail.

Avella proposed a similar measure last year that failed to gain ground after a fatal machete attack on Long Island.

Legal defense against possession charges of such “per se” weapons, in which the possessor has to show they did not intend to use it unlawfully, has led to multiple challenges in recent years. In one such case in 2015, an electrician charged with possession of what NYC police deemed a gravity knife won a $57,000 settlement when a court found the blade in question to be a utility knife used to strip insulation off wiring.

Progress on the bill comes the same week New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio held up a drop in murders and shootings in the Big Apple, while admitting slashings and stabbings are on the rise.

The number of knife attacks in the city for the first quarter of the year has increased by more than 20 percent to 899, compared with the same time last year, which saw 746 such assaults.

“Stabbings and slashings aren’t going away,” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said at the press conference, noting that such crimes are a “reality” of living in New York City.

No direct mention was made by Bratton or de Blasio concerning machetes.

From www.nraila.org:

Despite months of misleading attacks by New York gun control advocate and billionaire Michael Bloomberg and his anti-gun state groups, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, the Mississippi Senate overwhelmingly approved NRA-backed House Bill 786 today by a 36-14 vote.  Thank you to those NRA members and Second Amendment supporters who contacted their elected officials in support of HB 786 throughout the legislative process!

House Bill 786 accomplishes the following:

Expands current permitless carry options to include belt and shoulder holsters.  (Legislation passed in 2015 authorized Mississippians who are eligible to possess a firearm under state and federal law to carry a pistol or revolver without a license in purses, handbags, satchels, other similar bags or briefcases or fully enclosed cases)
Allows church authorities to develop security programs that designate enhanced carry permit holders or those with military or law enforcement backgrounds to protect places of worship and receive the benefits of existing protections under the state’s “Castle Doctrine” law
Prohibits state or local enforcement of federal executive orders or agency regulations not approved by Congress which conflict with the Constitution of the United States or the Mississippi Constitution
If the House concurs with the Senate amendments to HB 786 and Governor Phil Bryant (R) signs the bill, as expected, Mississippi will become the ninth state to widely recognize a law-abiding adult’s ability to carry a concealed pistol or revolver for personal protection without government-mandated permitting or fees.  The measure would take effect upon the governor’s signature.

NRA-ILA would like to thank Senate and House leaders, Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves (R) and Speaker Philip Gunn (R), as well as the sponsor, state Rep. Andy Gipson (R-Braxton), and key committee chairman state Sen. Sean Tindell (R-Gulfport), for their leadership on this important bill.  Please send them a quick note of thanks for their key support.

*****

Additionally, over the last few legislative days, the House gave final approval to NRA-supported Senate Bill 2313, sponsored by Sen. Tindell.  SB 2313 eliminates the redundant, unnecessary and rarely-enforced requirement that lawful owners of firearm sound suppressors register those items with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.  House Bill 1300, sponsored by state Rep. Joey Hood (R-Ackerman), NRA-backed legislation to expand legal protections for established shooting ranges in the state, received approval from the full Senate and has been sent back to the House for anticipated agreement with Senate amendments.

Your NRA-ILA will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available.