Most of the so-called gun violence we hear about is really gang violence, where they just happen to use guns instead of the switchblades and chains like a rendition of West Side Story. Gang-related violence has always been part of the violent crime issues that have long plagued our cities, and for a long time, the only way anyone seemed interested in addressing it was through gun control.
Never mind that most gang members can't own guns, either due to age, their status as convicted felons, or both.
Still, anti-gunners would pass more and more gun control, all of which just makes it harder on regular people trying to exercise their gun rights, and the issue with gangs never really seemed to respond to it the activists claimed.
Weird, ain't it?
Anyway, enter Mississippi. They decided to do a little something that supporters feel would address the issue, and while it does deal a little bit with guns in and of itself, it manages to do it in a way that isn't likely to impact a single lawful gun owner.
Mississippi has enacted a sweeping new law aimed at reducing gang-related violence and crimes involving minors and firearms, state officials announced.
Attorney General Lynn Fitch said Senate Bill 2710, signed into law as part of her 2026 legislative agenda, targets gang activity by increasing penalties and shifting how certain juvenile firearm cases are prosecuted.
The law moves crimes of violence involving a firearm out of youth court and into circuit court, increases penalties for transferring stolen firearms to minors, and enhances sentences when stolen guns are used in violent crimes — including up to 40 years if used in a murder.
It also creates a new criminal offense for shooting into a crowd, with stricter penalties if the incident occurs at places such as schools, churches, courthouses, playgrounds or parks, or if minors are present or the offender is a gang member.
“There are more than 200 gangs in Mississippi, and they recruit minors to do a lot of their dirty work, knowing that punishment is often disproportionate to the severity of the crime,” Fitch said. “Now the penalty fits the crime, making juvenile recruitment less attractive and getting dangerous criminals off the street.”
Now, let's understand that increased penalties don't work as a deterrent. None of these people thinks they're going to get caught. They think the rules don't apply to them, so they can do what they want, and no one is really going to do anything. Unless there's a fear of getting caught, there can't be any deterrence.
But they do remove them from the community for a longer period of time, which might put them on the straight and narrow, but will at least mean they can't hurt anyone except a fellow inmate during that time period. Do that enough, and you'll have longer-lasting quiet.
We all know that it's a small percentage in any community that accounts for most of the violent, gun-related crime. If they all end up in prison for a few decades, well, then that community is going to have a peaceful time going forward.
And with regard to the guns, every bit of this deals with stolen guns or gun trafficking. None of it impacts law-abiding citizens.
Sure, it's hypothetically possible that someone might buy a stolen gun in a face-to-face transfer, not realizing it's stolen, only to kill someone later and get charged with murder for it, then go to prison for 40 years because he unknowingly used a stolen gun. That's not likely, though, because black market dealers aren't exactly advertising on Facebook like they're law-abiding folks just trying to sell off part of their collection.
It could hypothetically happen, but so could Sydney Sweeney showing up at my house in a thong, but it ain't likely.
So we've got tougher penalties for criminals, and the only part of the law that deals with guns specifies stolen ones, plus a gun-trafficking to a minor mention.
It looks like Mississippi is trying to replicate its education miracle with violent crime, and I think they might just nail it.
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