A bill to allow non-felons, 21 and older, to carry a concealed firearm without a permit continues to make its way through the legislative process. The House-approved bill received the backing today of Senate Judiciary B on a four-to one-vote. Oil City Representative Danny McCormick believes the U-S Constitution allows gun owners to conceal carry without a permit.
“We’ve given the rights back to everybody except the law-abiding citizens of Louisiana and that’s all I’m asking for,” said McCormick.
Several groups oppose McCormick’s measure over concerns his proposed law will lead to more gun violence.
“The idea of saying in order to support law enforcement, reduce crime, protect kids that we are going to make more permissive gun laws, is like me saying that I need to lose weight and in order to do so I am going to eat hamburgers and candy every day,” said Peter Robbins-Brown, the executive director of Louisiana Progress.
The Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police also opposes the legislation. Executive Director Fabian Blache says training is required to get a concealed carry permit and he’s concerned the legislation will lead to more people who do not know how to handle a firearm. He imagines a scenario of a group of young people mishandling the responsibility of owning a weapon.
“Now you are going to tell them all they can pack, so now you got 12 or 14 people, all armed and not trained and not when they can discharge and when they get hot-headed they are just going to fire,” said Blache.
The bill was sent to Senate Finance because State Police would lose out on money if a permit is no longer required to conceal carry.
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