Often wearing a tan military-looking jacket with a Mississippi Gun Rights logo on it, Noel Fritsch has lobbied lawmakers since January to pass “constitutional carry,” allowing people to carry concealed guns without a permit.
At first welcomed by conservatives in the pro-gun Mississippi Legislature, Fritsch appears to have worn out his welcome with several, including the senator who filed the bill he wanted. They vow never again to deal with him or his organization, after they were targeted with “robo-calls” and social media ads claiming they are anti-gun rights. Fritsch also faces complaints that he was lobbying lawmakers without being registered as a lobbyist, a potential violation of state law, albeit one that’s seldom prosecuted.
As was often the case when he served as communications director for state Sen. Chris McDaniel’s U.S. Senate campaign last year, Fritsch has in part become the issue.
“I have a goal to run (Mississippi Gun Rights) out of Mississippi, and I hope they never come back,” said House Judiciary Chairman Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, one of the Legislature’s staunchest gun-rights advocates. “They have made me mad … Noel Fritsch is no friend of mine. He has got a bad way of doing things.”
Sen. Angela Hill, who filed a constitutional carry bill on behalf of Fritsch and Mississippi Gun Rights, said she has warned Fritsch she would contact the Capitol Police if he contacts her again. She said his communications with her went from bossy to “borderline threatening.”
Clarion Ledger
3/10/15
Magnolia Tribune
