Louisiana to Become the 28th State to Allow Permitless Carry of Firearms

Bill passed during special legislative session to deal with crime, but a gun control group says permitless carry of firearms will exacerbate the problem.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks during the start of the special session in the House Chamber in Baton Rouge, La., on Jan. 15, 2024. Michael Johnson/The Advocate via AP

Louisiana is set to become the 28th state to adopt the so-called Constitutional Carry of firearms on July 4 if Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signs SB1 into law, which he is expected to do.

Once the law goes into effect, anyone 18 or older who can legally own a firearm will be able to carry a gun openly or concealed in the state of Louisiana. The state will still issue permits for those who want to carry guns in states that share reciprocity with Louisiana.

According to Joshua Barnhill, an attorney from Lafayette and the Louisiana state director for Gun Owners of America, the new law mirrors existing law in most other respects.

It is already legal to openly carry a firearm in the state. But there is a list of “prohibited places” where carrying a gun is illegal. Mr. Barnhill said that the list is part of the new law.

“[The new law] mirrors the current statute in that effect,” Mr. Barnhill recently told The Epoch Times.

SB1, which Republican state Sen. Blake Miguez sponsored, passed the Louisiana House by a vote of 76 to 28. The legislation had previously cleared the state Senate on a vote of 28 to 10.

Mr. Miguez did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment.

The gun control group Moms Demand Action did not respond to an email seeking comment for this story.

But the group issued a statement on its website on Feb. 22, when the Louisiana Senate passed the bill, criticizing the legislation.

“Louisiana lawmakers have chosen to make our beaches, restaurants, grocery stores, parks, and everywhere else we go more vulnerable to gun violence,” said Angelle Bradford, a volunteer with the Louisiana chapter of Moms Demand Action.

“More guns will not make Louisianans any more free; in fact, it’ll only restrict freedom to go about their lives without fear of gun violence.”

The group, which is affiliated with the national gun control organization Everytown for Gun Safety, claimed similar laws around the country have increased violent crime rates between 13 percent and 15 percent.

However, according to a national firearms survey summarized by Georgetown University, firearms are used in self-defense or defense of property more than 1 million times annually.

Mr. Barnhill said the bill was one of many bills requested by Mr. Landry for the 2024 Second Extraordinary Session to deal with crime issues. A companion bill, SB2, also sponsored by Mr. Miguez, would limit civil liability for those who use a gun in self-defense. The liability protection would apply if the criminal or their family sued a person who used a firearm in a legitimate self-defense case.

The House added amendments to SB2 so that it will be sent back to the Senate.

Other States

The last state to approve Constitutional Carry was Nebraska on April 25. At that time, Legislative Bill 77 (LB77) was signed by Gov. Jim Pillen. That law is now the subject of a lawsuit brought by the state against its largest cities.

LB77 repealed all local firearms ordinances or regulations, but officials in Lincoln and Omaha ignored the new law.

On Aug. 30, 2023, Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert signed an executive order banning firearms in public areas, including sidewalks, parks, hiking trails, and other areas.

The Omaha City Council repealed the city’s existing firearms ordinances, then adopted new ordinances outlawing kits to build firearms, so-called ghost guns, and accessories to increase a gun’s rate of fire.

On Sept. 1, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird issued an executive order similar to Ms. Stothert’s order. The Lincoln City Council left its existing firearms ordinances in place.

According to a Dec. 18, 2023, legal opinion from Nebraska Attorney General Michael Hilgers, the cities’ gun control efforts likely violate state law.

“Municipalities lack authority to regulate the possession of firearms and certain weapons in quintessential public spaces, such as parks, trails, and sidewalks,” the opinion reads.

On Dec. 18, 2023, the Liberty Justice Center, a nonprofit, public interest litigation firm, sued Omaha and Lincoln in their respective District Courts. Both cases are pending.

Last January, South Carolina appeared to be on track to become the 28th Constitutional Carry state. But its legislation has bounced between the state’s House and Senate. Most recently, it was assigned to a Senate Conference Committee.

H 3594 would eliminate the requirement for a concealed weapons permit, lower the age to purchase and carry a firearm to 21, and set a comprehensive list of “sensitive areas” in which guns are prohibited.

Supporters of the measure say the proposed law would enable South Carolinians who can legally own firearms to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

“You’ve earned the right by being a law-abiding citizen of the United States,” Republican state Sen. Rex Rice told The Epoch Times last January.