According to Firearm Chronicles
Facing a federal lawsuit, unanimous opposition from city council members, and a growing chorus of criticism from the public as well as public officials, Jackson, Mississippi mayor Chokwe Lumumba on Thursday dropped his attempt to ban the open carrying of firearms in the city even as he extended the city’s stay-at-home order.
Lumumba had previously said that he would extend his ban on open carry as well, but backed off of that boast at a press conference where he surrounded himself with gun control activists.
Lumumba was flanked by organizers with Moms Demand Action, a national organization that works to protect people from gun violence, during Thursday’s press conference in the garden next to City Hall.
The controversial open carry ban was short-lived, but Lumumba said he still believes such an order is necessary to curb gun violence in the city.
Other organizations, such as the Poor People’s Campaign and Everytown for Gun Safety, had also reached out in support, he said. “Senseless gun violence has plagued the city for too long…We are simply not doing enough,” he said. “The residents of Jackson and the police department are fighting a battle with their hands tied behind their backs.” The mayor said he respected the Second Amendment and gun rights, but believes his order was necessary to get illegal firearms off the streets.