NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana has always been a strong, pro-gun state.
It already allows people to carry visible firearms without a permit.
The state legislature now wants to expand the law to allow residents to carry concealed guns without a permit and without any training.
Louisiana Shooting Association President Dan Zelenka helped write the bill.
“I don’t think any more criminals will carry than are currently carrying,” Zelenka said. “What it does allow is the law-abiding citizen to carry and law-abiding citizens have never been a problem.”
Opponents don’t see it that way.
In a statement, New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said, “The current laws in place regarding the illegal carrying of concealed weapons have played a major role in reducing incidents of gun violence.”
Rep. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans voted against the permit-less carry bill.
"We are literally saying that anyone whether you’re good or bad, you could not only have a gun, but you can carry it concealed,” Duplessis said. “It will inevitably lead to more violence.”
The proposed law which gained final legislative approval on Tuesday would apply to adults who are at least age 21 and have not been convicted of a felony or violent crime.
The bill also prohibits the carrying of a concealed gun while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who largely supports gun rights has said he would veto any bill that ends the permitting process.
“I think it strikes the right balance to make sure people go through that background check, that they have training on safety and marksmanship,” Edwards said in April when the bill was introduced.
Duplessis is encouraging Governor Edwards to veto the bill.
“This notion that there should be no regulation on your Second Amendment right to carry a gun, I just think it’s a perverse idea and it’s really harming our communities,” Duplessis said.
Zelenka said it would be a mistake for the governor not to let the bill become law.
“Frankly if he vetoes it, I’m not sure that we could ever believe another Democrat saying that they were pro-gun,” Zelenka said.
New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams is also opposed to the permit-less carry legislation.
“The entire state of Louisiana needs gun legislation that applies more sensible regulations, not less, if we want to increase safety in neighborhoods,” Williams said in a statement. “In urban and rural communities alike, we see a continued drumbeat of senseless deaths due to gun violence; it is important that we have legislation that provides increased protection for our families, instead of leaving our communities open to harm.”
Twenty other states already have similar concealed carry laws on the books.