House bill 506 was signed in to law by the governor of Mississippi. As of July 1st, 2011 the state allows a MS conceal carry permit holder to obtain an enhanced endorsement for their CHP permit. The endorsement gives the permit holder the ability to carry in places which were considered off limits in 45-9-101 (except for any police, sheriff or highway patrol station, or any detention facility, prison or jail).
There is no extra fee or other paperwork required to obtain the enhanced status other than submitting proof of class completion.
With the normal Mississippi concealed carry permit, it is a crime to carry a gun into any of the following places in Mississippi:
- any place of nuisance as defined in Section 95-3-1, Mississippi Code of 1972;
- any police, sheriff or highway patrol station;
- any detention facility, prison or jail; any courthouse; any courtroom, except that nothing in this section shall preclude a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or determining who will carry a concealed weapon in his courtroom;
- any polling place; any meeting place of the governing body of any governmental entity;
- any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof;
- any school, college or professional athletic event not related to firearms;
- any portion of an establishment, licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, that is primarily devoted to dispensing alcoholic beverages; any portion of an establishment in which beer or light wine is consumed on the premises, that is primarily devoted to such purpose;
- any elementary or secondary school facility; any junior college, community college, college or university facility unless for the purpose of participating in any authorized firearms-related activity;
- inside the passenger terminal of any airport, except that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal if the firearm is encased for shipment, for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft;
- any church or other place of worship; or any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law.
- In addition to the places enumerated in this subsection, the carrying of a stun gun, concealed pistol or revolver may be disallowed in any place in the discretion of the person or entity exercising control over the physical location of such place by the placing of a written notice clearly readable at a distance of not less than ten (10) feet that the “carrying of a pistol or revolver is prohibited.”
- No license issued pursuant to this section shall authorize the participants in a parade or demonstration for which a permit is required to carry a stun gun, concealed pistol or revolver.
Once you have obtained the enhanced endorsement for your Mississippi concealed carry permit, the above listed restrictions are removed except for the following:
- Police, sheriff or highway patrol station
- Prisons or jails
- Courtrooms where court is in session (the rest of the courthouse is OK)
- Any location prohibited by federal statute
- Any place of nuisance as defined in Section 95-3-1
To obtain the enhanced permit endorsement, a current MS CHP holder needs to take a course from a Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS) Certified Enhanced Permit Instructor, which are offered here at Bearco Training.
Upon successful completion of a Defensive Handgun Course, a MS permit holder is issued an approved MS DPS certificate. The certificate will be used to receive the endorsement at no charge from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
Courses that may be used for the enhanced permit are the Fundamentals of Defensive Carry or the Dynamic Focus Handgun courses.
Contact us to obtain more information or to register for a Defensive Handgun Course.