Mississippi Governor Signs Bill That ‘Takes Direct Aim’ at Efforts to Create Gun Registries and Databases

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs the bill retiring the last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem during a ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 30, 2020. Rogelio V. Solis/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, has signed a bill that “takes direct aim” at efforts to create gun registries and databases that would track the purchase of firearms.

“The Second Amendment rights of Mississippians shall not be infringed,” Reeves said in a press release. “My administration will continue to push back on national Democrats’ unconstitutional gun grabs that threaten the safety and privacy of law-abiding gun owners. Unlike California and New York, we’re proud to welcome the firearms industry and gun owners from across the country to enjoy the protections that our state has to offer. Let me be clear: as long as I’m governor, the Second Amendment is here to stay in Mississippi.”

Both New York and California have succeeded in attaining the strictest gun-control legislation in the country as the two Democrat-led states move toward enacting more “gun-free zones”; however, those who support the Second Amendment argue that this legislation misses the target, failing to address what they say is truly causing mass shootings—mental illness.

Reeves’s signing comes as Mississippi’s neighboring state of Tennessee emerges from heated debates over gun control after the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville where 28-year-old Audrey Hale—a woman who identified as a man—killed six people at the school, three of them 9-year-old children.

The Tennessee House of Representatives approved a bill that would increase school security by placing an armed officer in all public schools.

Later, Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, suggested there be a law that would restrict gun ownership for “individuals who are a threat to themselves or to our society, to remove them from access to weapons.”

As the national debate over gun control continues, Reeves said some Democrat politicians have called for the tracking of gun purchases with “a specific gun store credit card code,” which he said has raised concerns among lawful gun owners over how this code could be used to infringe upon their constitutional rights “by blocking and limiting purchases of guns and ammo.”

People walk past a "Gun Free Zone" sign posted on 40th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City, on Aug. 31, 2022. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

‘A Slippery Slope’

“These types of policies represent a dangerous slippery slope,” Reeves said. “Certain gun-grabbing politicians aim to achieve their ultimate goal of depriving Americans’ of their Second Amendment rights one unconstitutional step at a time. We have to stand our ground.”

Mississippi House Bill 1110 (pdf) will not only prohibit state or private entities from keeping a registry of privately owned firearms, but it will also block financial institutions from using firearm codes to track purchases.

Additional concerns have been raised over how gun control activists seek to “weaponize financial institutions” to track gun purchases which could lead to potential attempts to use the information to “punish gun manufacturers, distributors, and sellers.”

Reeves said many of these financial institutions themselves have said they don’t wish to track gun purchases, citing a statement Visa made in September 2022.

“We do not believe private companies should serve as moral arbiters,” Visa said in the press release. “Asking private companies to decide what legal products or services can or cannot be bought and from what store sets a dangerous precedent. Further, it would be an invasion of consumers’ privacy for banks and payment networks to know each of our most personal purchasing habits. Visa is firmly against this.”

In March, Both Visa and Mastercard confirmed they’re halting the enactment of a merchant category code that would have tracked cardholders’ purchases at gun stores.

‘This Isn’t New York or California’

According to Reeves, in 2022 the firearms industry had an impact of up to $1.2 billion on the state economy while supporting over 4,800 jobs and paying over $284 million in wages.

“Mississippi isn’t going to shut the door on the lawful and constitutional firearms industry,” Reeves said. “Again, this isn’t New York or California. We’re not going to crack down on a lawful industry that is helping people put food on their table through meaningful employment.”

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.