NEW ORLEANS — As you're window shopping in the French Quarter, you may notice something new.
Ryan Tramonte, general manager for the French Art Network gallery, said they plan to put up "no firearm" signs for the safety of customers and staff.
“We’re going to be putting up the signs in support of the NOPD and we’re going to be doing that because we want people who don’t carry to come in and we want them to feel safe," Tramonte said, “This gives me a chance to sleep a little bit better knowing my employees aren’t having to deal with that while they’re here.”
The signs were made and distributed by the French Quarter Business Association and Cops 8, a nonprofit that supports District 8 police.
The signs are meant to remind folks that business owners can still prohibit them from carrying a firearm onto their property, despite the state's new permitless concealed carry law.
The law states that anyone 18 or older, who is not a convicted felon, is allowed to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
Some French Quarter businesses said they won't be putting the signs up because they don't want to draw attention to their stores.
But at Pepper Palace on Decatur, Bryanna Smith, said they're proudly on display.
"We actually received it in the mail within the past week or so and felt that it was important to display in our window because we certainly don’t want any firearms in or around the store," Smith said.
Despite a strong push from top tourism officials and business leaders, lawmakers failed to create a carve-out for the French Quarter earlier this year.
City leaders are currently still working on a loophole that would make the 8th District police station a vocational-technical school. Under state law, guns are prohibited within 1,000 feet of schools.
Until then, business owners say they hope people will read and abide by the signs.
“If there’s someone in or around the store, I think I would probably just call NOPD and notify them that we have the signposted and it’s not being complied with and kind of see where that goes," Smith said.
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