Two customers walk into a McDonald’s in Columbus in February with handguns in their waistbands. One of them is only 15 years old. A bystander calls 911, and the pair leaves in police custody.
Luckily no one is hurt.
For Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry, who took that role in January, this is one of many instances of his department seizing guns from minors this year alone. He said the youngest suspect arrested in the city for gun possession this year was 13.
“This is not a Columbus thing. It’s a nation thing,” Daughtry said. “… Juveniles are finding access to guns. Some kids are getting them because it makes them popular or cool or tough. Some children are getting them for protection because they’re scared.”
That fear, Daughtry said, includes bullying, dealing with conflict and other kids with guns.
Chief Mark Ballard of Starkville Police Department said mass shootings that have been occurring across the country also feed that fear.
Though there is no minimum age to possess a rifle or shotgun in Mississippi, it is an act of delinquency for a minor to be in knowing possession of a handgun, according to state law, with a few situational exceptions, including gun safety courses, firearm competitions and with adult supervision on their legally owned property.
State law prohibits giving, lending or selling a deadly weapon or a pistol cartridge to a minor. The punishment for any of these things could be either a $1,000 fine or imprisonment of up to one year in county jail.
Despite the law, illegal possession of firearms by minors is becoming a common issue for law enforcement agencies across the Golden Triangle.
Daughtry did not provide current CPD numbers for this year, but Jason Collins, administrator for the Lowndes County Youth Court, said it has had six new cases of minor gun possession in 2023, not including other violent charges involving guns.
Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said his department has seized 45 guns total so far this year, and he roughly estimated about half were from minors.
Ballard said SPD has seized five guns from minors this year. Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Brett Watson said the county has also arrested five in that span.
Area law enforcement indicated the issue of minors with guns has become more prevalent over the last few years.
These local observations are in line with national trends. A study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics last year found handgun carriage among minors increased from 3.3% to 4.6% from 2002 to 2019, a 39% increase. The increase was particularly high among rural, white and higher income teens.
Carriage among Hispanics also increased during that period, while the numbers for Black children declined.
How teens are getting guns
Both Ballard and Daughtry noted many of the guns being recovered from minors are linked to auto burglaries.
Daughtry described an auto burglary method he called “bumping,” where thieves will walk down a row of cars in a parking lot and try each door to see if they are unlocked. Often, the thief will only steal from cars that are unlocked or that contain a visible firearm.
Knowing possession of a stolen firearm is a felony, with a first offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
But Daughtry also said minors are getting access to guns through irresponsible gun ownership practices by their loved ones.
“Some parents … they don’t know where their guns are,” Daughtry said. “… But the kid knows where it is, and the kid might take it to school with them every day.”
Ballard agreed parents need to be involved in conversations about gun possession with their teenagers, as some guns are legally owned by the teens’ parents.
“It starts at the homefront,” Ballard said. “Parents have to be engaged with their teenagers. … A teenager sneaking out at 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning, that’s one thing. But teenagers sneaking out with a gun is another thing.”
SOCSD Superintendent Dr. Tony McGee said youth gun possession affects the health and safety of students and the schools’ environment.
Since 2021, two Starkville High students have been arrested for having guns on campus, according to Dispatch reporting.
“Whether it’s unlawful behavior like gun possession or exposure to gun violence, whatever our kids experience outside the school hours can become another obstacle to success while they are at school,” McGee wrote in a text message to The Dispatch. “We’re thankful for our local law enforcement’s commitment to building relationships with our young people and to quickly addressing situations that impact their safety and well-being.”
What to do about it?
Daughtry said CPD has been using its Violent Police Emergency Response Unit with the Department of Public Safety’s violent crime wing to proactively police and get guns off of the street before they are involved in violent crimes.
Ballard said SPD has been proactively policing hotspots in the Starkville area and promoting a 9 p.m. routine on Twitter reminding citizens to lock their cars and their doors at night to prevent gun theft.
“It’s a Second Amendment right to carry firearms,” Ballard said. “People are concerned about crime, so they carry a firearm for protection. But if you make that choice, you have to be responsible. Secure that weapon. … Don’t leave it in your vehicle, and lock your doors.”
Both police chiefs also said they are working to prevent illegal gun possession by minors through education initiatives. Daughtry said CPD is planning on starting an education initiative in elementary schools within the next year. Ballard said SPD has been trying to educate teens through its DARE program.
“It begins with education,” Ballard said. “We recognize as a police department that we have an educational responsibility to make people aware of trends or issues as they grow and develop.”
Daughtry said, though some minors carry firearms out of genuine concern for their safety, gun possession often leads them into even more dangerous situations.
“We have some kids that had guns and they pull them, and they have the wrong ammunition in it, or it’s not loaded,” Daughtry said. “Some guns they have bought off the street and they don’t have a firing pin. It can’t fire. But it’s enough to get them killed.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion