Louisiana is a step closer to becoming the 28th state to allow concealed carrying of weapons (CCW) without obtaining a permit. Louisiana SB 1 passed out of committee and is expected to be signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry when it reaches his desk. Anyone 18 or older who is not barred by law from owning a handgun may carry one under the terms of this bill.
Legislation Passes in Committee as Louisiana Races to Become 28th Constitutional Carry State https://t.co/v1FGuGDBux
— Eli (@RobertEliason7) February 22, 2024
The vote took place in a special legislative session focusing on crime. Bills assigned the lowest numbers tend to be designated by leadership as high-priority for passage. The fact that this CCW bill was given “1” means it is likely to become law with minimal pushback.
The bill was opposed by the New Orleans Police Department, citing concerns over the lack of background checks. GOP Sen. John “Jay” Morris dismissed this argument during the debate on the bill, stating: “There are people all over the city of New Orleans illegally carrying weapons. Are there not? The people who are carrying those weapons don’t care about the law.”
A similar bill passed the Louisiana legislature in 2021 but was vetoed by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat. This time around, the Senate Judiciary Committee vote was 6-1 in favor, with the sole “no” being from Democrat Sen. Regina Barrow.
In Blue states, a special session on “crime” would likely assign an “SB 1” to onerous gun control legislation. Such laws, such as waiting periods, magazine capacity limits and CCW restrictions impact only non-criminals. These states typically see crime increase after enacting such laws.
Ohio passed Constitutional Carry in 2022 and discovered crime actually dropped significantly in nearly every large city.
Further evidence of just how partisan and polarizing this issue has become lies in the fact that all 27 “Constitutional Carry” states are Red states.
Permitless CCW been called “Constitutional Carry” because it complies with the original intent of the Second Amendment, which does not specify that permission is required to “keep and bear arms”. In the late 1980s, when the current wave of CCW laws began, Vermont was the only state that had Constitutional Carry. The moniker of “Vermont Carry” was used when selling permitless CCW.
Alaska was the second state to remove permit requirements for CCW in 2003. As more states followed suit, the name “Constitutional Carry” was adopted.
