Legislation has been filed that would allow anyone 21 and older to carry a concealed handgun on their person without needing a permit.
West Monroe Senator Jay Morris said passing this legislation would make Louisiana the 19th state to adopt a “Constitutional Carry” law.
“We have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms as everyone knows, and the world is, unfortunately, getting more and more dangerous,” said Morris.
The legislation does not apply to convicted felons, and those who are legally intoxicated would still be barred from carrying a concealed weapon.
The bill is similar to one filed in the House by Oil City Representative Danny McCormick, the big difference being McCormick’s bill sets the age limit at 18 instead of 21.
“I am not opposed to 18 years and older, I just thought 21 years old would give me a better chance of getting the bill passed,” said Morris.
Opponents say a concealed carry permit classes teach gun owners vital safety lessons and weed out bad actors. Morris said forcing people to pay a fee to exercise their rights is a liberty issue.
“I’m not an anarchist, I know we have to have government we have to have rules in society but if a rule is not really necessary we shouldn’t have to have one that infringes on what our forefathers thought was important enough to put in the constitution,” said Morris.
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