Stricter gun laws to take effect July 1
STARKVILLE, Miss., (WCBI) – In July, a new law will take effect, and its aim is to toughen punishments for teens and young adults convicted of violent crimes.
On July 1, teens or young adults charged with a violent crime involving a gun will face stiffer punishments.
Senate Bill 2710, authored by Senator Joey Fillingame, aims to reduce crimes committed by teens and young adults and to hold the adults accountable.
Beginning July 1, if a teen or young adult is convicted of a violent crime and a gun is involved, they will be charged as an adult.
The bill also states that if adults are involved in possession, selling, or transferring a stolen weapon to a teen or young adult who uses it in a violent crime, the adult will face tougher penalties as well.
Now, the adults involved — those 21 and older — can receive anywhere from 10 to 40 years, depending on the type of violent crime.
Oktibbeha County Youth Court Judge Lee Ann Turner says it’s something she sees in her courtroom often.
“We have way too many situations where young people are in possession of handguns and other weapons,”
She said there can be a number of reasons for this. Some may feel that they need the gun for protection. For others, it could be a bit of a power trip. Turner says either way, it’s a very dangerous thing.
“Very dangerous when teenagers are in a position to make those very quick, usually in the heat of the moment, last, kind of quick decisions that can have lasting and deadly impacts.”
She said the primary responsibility lies with the parents.
“Parents have to take a greater role in knowing what their children are doing and whether or not they have a weapon that they could possess and who their friends are and who they’re hanging out with so I think parents are the frontline for whether their child is going to be involved in any type of violent behavior.”
Turner says the new bill also holds other adults who use teenagers to commit violent crimes accountable.
