Weekly Spotlight 1/26/24 – 2/1/24
A new Governor in Louisiana brings renewed hope for constitutional carry in the Pelican State
Louisianans might be closer than ever to having their fundamental right to self-defense enshrined in law. Kicking off this year’s legislative session, State Rep. Danny McCormick (R-Oil City) has once again filed a bill to implement “constitutional carry” for law-abiding citizens in the Pelican state.
This won’t be McCormick’s first attempt to pass such a bill, also known as “permitless carry.” In 2021, despite receiving overwhelming support in the state legislature, then-Governor John Bel Edwards vetoed the bill. Last year, McCormick was forced to withdraw the bill from consideration under the looming threat of another veto from Governor Edwards.
Louisiana is home to over 150,000 concealed carry permit holders, and over half of the state’s adult population have guns in their homes. Fortunately for the many responsibly-armed Louisianans, the new year has brought with it a new governor – Jeff Landry – who has already made securing constitutional carry a priority for his administration. Having served most recently as Louisiana’s attorney general, Landry has worked hard to protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights, advocating for national concealed carry reciprocity and standing up for gun owners in several landmark cases.
Landry’s inauguration comes when the need for constitutional carry and safeguarding the right to self-defense is greater than ever. In communities across the country, violent crime rates sit at unprecedented highs. According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, the city of New Orleans’ 2023 homicide rate was over 100 percent higher than what it was in 2019.
Gun control advocates in Louisiana and other states considering similar legislation continue to argue that passing constitutional carry will only increase crime rates, but these claims are too often rooted in distorted facts and exaggerated assertions. This has given rise to many misconceptions surrounding constitutional carry, including the assumption that more guns equals more crime. This is simply not the case. Since Ohio implemented constitutional carry in 2022, gun crime has decreased in the state’s eight largest cities. A similar trend is occurring in Florida, which passed constitutional carry last year.
The USCCA-FSL Action Fund promotes responsible firearm education and training by elevating the voices of thousands of everyday American gun owners in states like Louisiana who have stepped up to be their family’s first line of defense. It’s comforting to know Louisiana now has a governor committed to making constitutional carry a reality for law-abiding gun owners. It is an important reminder of the value of engaging in the political process to elect officials who actively stand up for our Second Amendment rights. That’s exactly why we launched the USCCA-FSL Action Fund – to provide a platform for everyday gun owners to promote responsible gun ownership to lawmakers in all 50 states.
Learn more about the legislative issues you can TAKE ACTION on to promote the Second Amendment!
OTHER NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- The Washington Examiner: Second Amendment Group Warns Of Backdoor Effort To Limit Concealed Carry Rights
A national group that champions concealed carry rights warned of a growing effort to limit the distribution of permits to carry firearms on Wednesday. The U.S. Concealed Carry Association for Saving Lives Action Fund told Secrets that it has started a campaign to stop states from using backdoor tactics to make getting permits harder. The campaign is focused on a Virginia lawmaker’s proposal to remove the U.S. Concealed Carry Association and National Rifle Association as the groups in charge of safety education classes required to get a permit.
When Florida became the 26th state to adopt constitutional carry, corporate media and Democrats lost their minds. None of the requirements for how citizens obtained guns in the Sunshine State changed when Florida House Bill 543 became law July 1, 2023. That didn’t stop the anti-gun press, which were not welcome at the signing, from claiming that permitless concealed carry would exacerbate shootings.
- Associated Press: Latest Federal Court Order Favors Right To Carry Guns In Some New Mexico Public Parks
A U.S. District Court judge is standing by her decision to block portions of a public health order from New Mexico’s governor that would suspend the right to carry firearms in many public parks in the Albuquerque area, with appeals pending before a higher court. The Monday order from Albuquerque-based Judge Kea Riggs denied a request from the governor to leave in place a temporary ban on firearms in some public places in greater Albuquerque, including most public parks.
- Los Angeles Times: O.C. Fairgrounds Gun Shows Resume After Judge Overturned 2-Year Ban
Once at an existential crossroads — after state legislators enacted a ban on the sale of firearms and ammunition on state-owned property, first in Orange County and then statewide — gun shows have returned to the fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. The Crossroads of the West Gun Show reopened to the public on Friday and ran through Sunday, marking a return to the facility and a decades-long tradition at the site, after the last show closed its doors on Nov. 28, 2021. Its shuttering came on the heels of Senate Bill 264, authored by state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), a prohibition that applied only to Orange County and took effect on Jan. 1, 2022.