Jackson’s Homicide Rate is 15 Times Higher than the National Average
2021 was another record year for homicides in the State’s Capitol City. As of December 30th there were 151 homicides in Jackson, MS. That is up from a record of 128 in 2020. In a city the size of Jackson, that means the per capita murder rate is 97.6 per 100,000 residents. That is 15 times higher than the national average of 6.5, and 30 points higher than St Louis, who last year, led all major U.S. cities with 64.54. A recent CNN Article called “How a state capital became one of the deadliest US cities” lays out a myriad of potential reasons why Jackson has turned so deadly and one of the reasons offered by Jackson’s Mayor is the state’s open carry law. A law he tried to ban in 2020, but was quickly shot down by other city and state officials.
How Dangerous Is Jackson?
News outlets regularly report on the homicides in Chicago. In 2021 the Windy City recorded 793 homicides (up from 774 last year) in a city of 2.7 million people. To put that in perspective, Jackson has about 160,000 people, if Jackson were the size of Chicago, you would be looking at over 2,500 homicides. That means you are 3 times more likely to be a victim of homicide in Jackson than you are Chicago.
The Hypocrisy of Politicians
Yet politicians in both states are convinced that law abiding citizens with guns are the problem. Recently, Kimberly Lightford, an Illinois antigun Senator was carjacked in Chicago. During the incident her husband pulled out his concealed carry gun and fired multiple rounds. In a news briefing, Lightford stated “It was a lot of shots being fired. I think they were shooting at my husband and me and luckily enough my husband is concealed and carry and he was able to protect us” In 2013, Lightford voted against allowing citizens the right to obtain carry permits in Illinois. The hypocrisy displayed in Jackson, MS is no different. In addition to trying to ban open carry in 2020, a December 2020 lawsuit filed by current and former JPD Officers, accused Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba of taking over $200,000 from JPD’s budget for his bodyguards and SUVs.
Prepare for the Pattern
In our 2020 Blog Post called “Prepare for the Pattern” we stated.
“Violent crime is likely to rise dramatically in the coming years. The average citizen will face the brunt of the results and will suffer greatly until it gets so bad that politicians, decision makers, and the media (who often live in a bubble) are personally affected. Only then will they start to invoke change to once again try and reduce crime. Until then, YOU ARE YOUR OWN FIRST RESPONDER! You must be able to protect yourself and your family until the Police arrive, if they are able to respond at all!”
While crime is starting to affect those in power, the reality is none of the issues facing Jackson (or any other city or state) will be quick fixes. Regardless of your views on why crime is so bad and what the the potential solutions might be, it won’t matter much when you are facing a a violent felon with a firearm. The only thing that will matter is if you have the ability and willingness to protect yourself and your family.
If you are not currently carrying your firearm on a regular basis, I encourage you to get your Firearm Permit and get in the habit of carrying your firearm EVERYDAY. If you have not gotten your MS Enhanced Carry Endorsement or you feel uncomfortable carrying your firearm, then I encourage you to look at our full offering of Handgun Training Classes here at Boondocks FTA™
