NEW ORLEANS — When it comes to carrying weapons in Louisiana, people who legally own a handgun or rifle can carry it in public in an overt fashion— that's typically referred to as 'open carry.'
As of May, people who want to conceal a handgun on their person in Louisiana have to apply for a permit to conceal a firearm, but lawmakers in Baton Rouge want the state to join more than 20 others in a move for what gun right advocates are calling 'Constitutional carry'— others call it permitless carry.
Louisiana lawmakers in both chambers have recently approved bills that would allow anyone who can legally buy a handgun to conceal it without a permit. Not to be outdone, lawmakers in neighboring Texas are voting for similar bills.
If Louisiana and Texas' governors sign the legislation into law then they'd join the following states that do not require a concealed carry weapon permit:
- Alaska, Arizona. Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine,
- Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma
- South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia & Wyoming, according to Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords' organization against gun violence.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shuan Ferguson said he vehemently opposes the proposed law, writing a message to the Louisiana House to demonstrate the dangers of making permitless carry legal.
"We strongly oppose any legislation that would create the potential for what could be thousands of untrained individuals bringing weapons to the streets of the City of New Orleans," Ferguson's message to lawmakers said. "Add the consumption of alcohol by these armed individuals and a very dangerous situation could develop, resulting in needless injury and death of our citizens and visitors."
The New Orleans police chief said requiring gun owners to get a permit before they can conceal a weapon under their clothes or in their bags has played a major role in reducing the number of gun violence in the city.
Ferguson expressed concern for the increased risk his police officers would have to face if every gun owner could conceal a weapon without a permit.
A Texas State Senators Cesar Blanco - D and Drew Springer - R argued opposing views of the law.
One argument says more guns lead to more gun violence, and the other says current restrictions on gun rights keep law-abiding citizens from being able to conceal & carry their weapons.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reportedly said he'd sign the bill.
"I support it, and I believe it should reach my desk, and we should have 'constitutional carry' in Texas," Abbott told North Texas radio host Rick Roberts.
Louisiana Senate Bill 118 & Louisana House Bill 596 have a few distinctions that need to be ironed out before the bill gets to Gov. John Bel Edwards' desk, but that may be as far as it goes.
"All of that it seems to me is proper," Edwards said of current restrictions when asked about the proposed law. "That’s the right balance to strike. And I feel very strongly about that. I also feel very strongly that a considerable majority of the people in Louisiana support the system we currently have.”