Purse-packing gun law passes the House

Women in Mississippi may soon be better armed than men, unless men start carrying man-bags.

The House on Friday passed one of the first House-Senate conference reports, or final agreements, filed this session. Senate Bill 2394, which originally only reduced fees for concealed carry permits, in its final version includes language to allow concealed carry of a gun in "a purse, bag, handbag, satchel or other similar bag or briefcase or fully enclosed case."

The Senate is expected to approve the agreement and send it to the governor.

"Most ladies don't want to carry a gun on their hip for the world to see," said House Judiciary Chairman Andy Gipson, R-Braxton. "Men may, but ladies may not."

Gov. Phil Bryant said he will "absolutely" sign the bill into law, and noted his wife, Deborah, might find it handy for carrying her Ruger .380.

"She's a darned good shot," Bryant said.

A measure this session to allow "constitutional carry," or carry of a concealed gun without a permit, died in part because of a dust-up between a group lobbying for the measure and pro-gun lawmakers. In 2013, the Legislature passed a law that clarified Mississippians can carry weapons openly visible without a permit, but the state still requires a permit for concealed carry.

Gipson and other House and Senate conferees, while negotiating the bill to lower concealed carry permit fees from $100 to $80, added the purse/case carry language to the bill.

"The Mississippi House of Representatives and the Legislature are committed to passing real, meaningful pro-Second Amendment legislation," Gipson said.

Gipson said that even if the purse/case carry becomes law, many people will still want to get concealed carry permits, in part for reciprocity agreements with other states.

"If not, you can't carry when you go to Louisiana or Alabama or elsewhere," Gipson said.

House Speaker Philip Gunn, before the bill passed 103-15, joked with Gipson about Speaker Pro-tem Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, who occasionally carries a satchel.

"The pro tem from time to time is known to carry a purse -- a man purse," Gunn said. "Would this allow him to carry?"

It would, Gipson said.

The bill also would exempt active-duty military and veterans disabled from service-related injuries from the permit fee.

A separate bill the House passed 98-18 on Friday, SB2619, would exempt active military, veterans and retired law enforcement from training requirements to obtain enhanced carry permits. It also seeks to nullify future federal ammunition bans if not approved by Congress, such as one recently considered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on "green-tip" .223 caliber/5.56 mm ammunition. This bill is awaiting Senate approval as well.

Contact Geoff Pender at (601) 961-7266 or gpender@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @GeoffPender on Twitter.