Gun carry law advances in House Committee

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A gun carry bill has cleared the Committee on Criminal Justice at the Louisiana State Capitol.

The author of the bill, Senator Blake Miquez (R-New Iberia), said it’s meant to bring consistency to all the various gun laws in the state.

Opponents call it unnecessary and even add to the confusion. Gun-carrying laws have changed over the past couple of years in the state. Louisiana has become more friendly to gun carriers and Second Amendment Rights advocates.

During the 2024 Second Extraordinary Legislative Session, a proposed bill written by Miguez was passed and signed into law. It allows law-abiding citizens ages 18 and older to carry their weapons without having a permit.

As a result, there is a patchwork of laws dealing with three tiers of carriers: The constitutional carrier, the permit carrier, and the out-of-state carrier. Miguez authored Senate Bill 101 and said one area in which the bill offers consistency is with the 1,000-foot rule around schools. Current law prohibits the carrying of a firearm within that range, SB 101 would change that.

“The 1,000-foot zone around a school is the major part. There are some urban areas where there’s a 1,000-foot zone, and it’s on public property, you could walk your dog by your mailbox and be in it. We need to make sure you can defend yourself if you’re a law-abiding citizen,” said Miguez.

The bill does not allow the carrying of a firearm on school property, and those who are not legally allowed to carry a firearm would still be subject to prosecution for carrying a firearm near a school.
The bill passed the committee, but not before opponents argued it was unnecessary and would put more guns closer to schools, creating more dangerous situations for kids.

Senate Bill 101 heads to the full House for debate.

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