Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday signed 11 bills from his Legislative Special Session on crime, including one that deletes the requirements to get a permit from the state to legally carry a concealed handgun in Louisiana.
The permitless carry measure, SB 1, simply codifies the right of law-abiding citizens, 18 years and older, to carry concealed handguns lawfully in the state without first having to get a license. It passed the House 76-28 last week after an easy 28-10 win in the state Senate. Landry had promised in his campaign for the governor’s mansion that he would be pro-gun and tough on crime.
"Promises were made and promises were delivered," said Landry at the signing ceremony. "Today marks a new day in Louisiana. One where our streets and communities are safer for all."
Louisiana has had a curious road to permitless carry.
The state has long recognized open carry without any more of a license than the Second Amendment and issued $125 five-year concealed carry permits. A red state, the Louisiana legislature gave its approval to a permitless carry law in both 2021 and 2022 but it never made it past the desk of Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. Now, with Landry in office in Baton Rouge for just 57 days, the outcome was markedly different.
The law was supported by a variety of Second Amendment groups including the 800,000-member U.S. Concealed Carry Association, who bemoaned efforts by anti-gun groups to paint the bill as dangerous.
"Despite detractors’ attempts to twist facts, constitutional carry will make Louisiana communities safer by empowering more law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families," Katie Pointer Baney, Managing Director of Government Affairs for the USCCA, said in an email to Guns.com. "Responsibly armed Americans understand that exercising a right does not eliminate personal responsibility. Firearms education and training remain fundamental to their ability to protect themselves and others. The constitutional carry movement, and the positive results we’ve seen in other states, underscore this principle."
The new law will become effective on July 4th. Of note, all the state's neighbors (Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi) already have similar laws.
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