HB 68 (constitutional carry) was killed in the Louisiana House Committee on Criminal Justice in an 8-5 vote. The vote wasn’t recorded, so we don’t know who voted which way. There are 10 Republicans, 8 Democrats and 1 independent on the committee, but only 13 members voted. Who were the no-shows and/or abstentions? No one who knows is willing to say.
The House Committee on Criminal Justice shot down a bill Wednesday that would have eliminated the process for obtaining a concealed carry permit.
Representative Barry Ivey was joined by many gun rights advocates who support his bill. They say the long and costly process for obtaining a concealed carry permit violates their second amendment right.
The fact that there wasn’t a roll call vote implies that committee chair Sherman Q. Mack (R-Dist. 95), or vice chair Steve E. Pylant (R-Dist. 20), didn’t want a roll call vote. A commenter at legiscan.com states that this has happened several times in the past.
This bill has been shot down multuple times in the past years by the House Administration of Criminal Justice. It is time to let the poeple you represent vote on whats right for them and let this bill pass on to a vote of the people. Instead we have politicians who think they know whats best for you or police who dont want to deal with any hassle. Guess what, criminals are going to conceal anyway so this only affects law abiding citizens and the state because they count on this money. The only help we need on this one is to let us vote. There are alot of good people in this state that cant afford to take time off work ( not open on weekends)not to mention the $500.00 fee to get a lifetime concealed permit.
As with many Second Amendment-related reforms, there’s often one or two personalities that act as roadblocks to stop them. It is the way the system works, but it also indicates that the legislative leadership is in agreement with the results. If they weren’t, a way around those roadblocks would be found.
It appears that the legislature will be of little aid in establishing constitutional carry any time soon.
The following state constitutional amendment was passed in December of 2012.
Section 11. The right of each citizen to keep and bear arms is fundamental and shall not be infringed. Any restriction on this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.
It’s hard to see how maintaining permitting fees and the requirement for classes to exercise that fundamental right could pass strict scrutiny.
©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.