A bill introduced in the Mississippi House is reviving the battle over guns in the state by seeking to track the personal information of anyone buying ammunition. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports the bill's author believes tracking ammunition sales could make the state safer and help police.
Representative Omeria Scott of Laurel drafted the legislation that would require any ammunition retailer to collect and report the name, address, and amount of firearms ammo each person buys.
Scott says tracking sales can help stop people illegally reselling ammunition as well as helping police investigate crime.
"If you are hunting deer or rabbits you are not going to be buying an unreasonable amount of ammunition. But you are doing something shady, you are the one that is going to be buying that ammunition and selling it to young people," Scott said.
The negative reaction to the bill has been swift.
Governor Phil Bryant issued a statement calling it a violation of second amendment rights and vowing to veto it.
The bill has been referred to two committees and both chairmen are promising to kill it.
Representative Scott Bounds of Philadelphia is one of those chairmen, he runs the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks committee.
"I am against it. We won't be bringing it out. I just believe it is an infringement on private business and our rights to keep and bare arms and protect ourselves. With all due respect to Representative Scott who has filed the bill, we won't be considering it this year," Bounds said.
This is the third time that Representative Scott has submitted the legislation.
The previous two attempts gained little traction.
House Bill Seeks To Track Ammunition Sales
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Bill introduced looks to place requirements on ammunition sellers.
(Flikr) Matt Gregory
