BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana is one step closer to joining the list of states that allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit, after Republican lawmakers advanced legislation Thursday during a special session called to address violent crime.
Lawmakers also greenlit a bill that would provide a level of immunity from civil liability for someone who uses a concealed firearm to shoot someone in self-defense.
The Senate approved both measures on party-line votes and sent them to the House of Representatives, where the Republican Party has a two-thirds supermajority. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has already indicated he plans to sign the bills when they reach his desk.
Gun rights advocates have called the measure that would allow adults 18 and older to carry concealed handguns without a permit a “constitutional carry law,” saying current licensing requirements are unconstitutional. These requirements include fingerprinting and paying a fee.
“The Second Amendment is our God-given right to bear arms and defend our families,” said Republican Sen. Blake Miguez, who wrote the concealed carry bills passed in his chamber. “No more begging the government for permission to protect what is ours.”
Miguez and other Republicans argued that criminals are ignoring gun requirements and allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons without a permit to protect themselves. Democrats say the measure could lead to more gun violence and endanger public safety.
Lawmakers are considering a slew of “tough on crime” policies during their brief session. They include expanding methods of death row executions, harsher sentences for certain crimes, limiting or eliminating the possibility of parole for certain offenders and mandating that 17-year-olds be tried as adults when charged with a crime. crime.
According to the American Concealed Carry Association, twenty-seven states, including the entire Louisiana border, allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
Opponents of the bill pointed to Louisiana’s high rate of gun violence, which they said the bill could worsen. The state had the second-highest number of gun-related deaths in the country in 2021, with 1,314, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure includes suicides and homicides.
“This is by far one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation about to leave this building,” Democratic Sen. Royce Duplessis said Thursday.
Duplessis cited a letter from the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, which opposes the bill. The letter states that licensing is a “clear mechanism for detecting and regulating concealed firearms” and that removing this process “could increase the likelihood that firearms will end up in the possession of those who pose a danger to themselves.”
Additionally, law enforcement officials worry that the legislation could increase the number of dangerous situations they face. Police associations and organizations that have expressed their views on the bill have taken a neutral position or opposed it.
Louisiana previously came close to passing a law on concealed carry without a permit. In 2021, the Republican Party-dominated legislature passed a bill that was vetoed by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. At the start of this month’s special session, Landry told lawmakers, “Now you have a governor who will sign it.”
Miguez’s bill would take effect on July 4.