Louisiana’s Priorities on Carrying Guns Beyond Weird

As Cam noted on Tuesday, a Louisiana lawmaker pulled a campus carry bill, claiming that none of the students who asked for it would be able to testify before the legislature. While the measure had some problems, including allowing campus carry up until the classroom door, for some bizarre reason, the explanation for pulling it didn’t seem to fit.

Cam wrote:

Even if those students who’d originally requested the legislation be filed couldn’t testify in person, they could always have submitted written testimony, and my guess is that state and national Second Amendment organizations would have been happy to help rally members behind the bill as well. I can’t help but think that McCormick might also have received some pushback from his fellow lawmakers; enough that it was clear the legislation wasn’t going to move this session. 

The idea of GOP pushback seems like a more plausible reason, because I promise you, there are students in Louisiana who would have been thrilled to testify in defense of the bill.

But let’s contrast that with something else, for a moment, and that’s another bill that’s working through the system. This would allow additional folks to carry guns in the state capitol.

Louisiana legislators may greatly expand the list of elected officials allowed to carry a concealed handgun into the State Capitol.

Though Louisiana has permissive gun laws, there are tight restrictions on who can have a concealed gun on their person at the statehouse. State legislators and the attorney general are the only elected officials allowed to carry weapons inside the Capitol currently. 

Sen. Rick Edmonds, a Baton Rouge Republican who is running for Congress, has proposed extending the same privilege to the six other statewide elected officials in state government: the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, insurance commissioner and agriculture commissioner. Plus, each of those officials would get to pick a designated staff member to also carry a firearm in the Capitol.

The Senate voted 37-0 for Senate Bill 277 Tuesday. 

Under the proposal, any elected official or selected staff member who wants to carry a concealed firearm in the Capitol would have to obtain annual certification from the Council of Peace Officer Standards and Training. 

So, basically, they’re down with expanding gun rights for the state’s elite, but not for the people who are statistically more likely to be the subject of a violent attack.

While political assassination has become a bit more of a problem in the last couple of years, unfortunately, it’s still not exactly super common, and people like the governor tend to get state police protection in many places. Meanwhile, this measure does nothing for the people of Louisiana. They still can’t carry in the Capitol building, and they still can’t carry on college campuses.

No, I don’t think any of these individuals will be a danger to the public by carrying guns, though politicians are far more likely to engage in criminal activity than your lawful concealed carrier will. My issue isn’t based on that at all, but the fact that there was little to no desire to see campus carry pass, apparently, all while they’re down with making sure political appointees and public officials can still carry in the Capitol if they get into higher office.

Seems rather self-serving, to me, and it does no good for anyone else in the state. It’s not about respecting gun rights, but about making damn sure some animals are more equal than others.

Screw kids on college campuses, which are often the target of deranged killers, just so long as state lawmakers and officials can be safe and sound.

Editor’s Note: Despite times like this, it’s still clear President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing just about everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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