State Gun Laws

In this section about gun laws, we discuss laws that ban people from having a gun if they were found guilty (convicted) of a felony. A felony is a more serious crime than a misdemeanor. In Mississippi, a felony is any offense that can be punished by death or confinement in the penitentiary.¹

However, you cannot always tell whether someone was convicted of a felony by looking only at how long they were in prison. Criminal sentences are often reduced or pled down, meaning a person may serve less time. If you don’t know whether the abuser was convicted of a felony, you can try to find the information in a few different ways. For example, you may be able to find the record online, or you might be able to ask the prosecutor who handled the criminal case. You could also try talking to the clerk at the courthouse where they were convicted to see what other options you may have.

¹ Miss. Code § 1-3-11