MONROE, La. – To me, the big question here is, shouldn’t Louisiana citizens have the right to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, to protect themselves from those who would be concealed carrying without a permit anyway, regardless of the law?
Apparently, according to the recent actions of the Louisiana Senate, the answer is “Yes.”
Louisiana Senator Jay Morris from West Monroe has authored a Senate bill that would allow Louisiana citizens over the age of 21 to conceal carry weapons without the need for a state required permit and it’s now one step closer to becoming law in Louisiana.
Senator Morris said, “It is about freedom, freedom to do what you want to in this world and to be able to protect your family and your property without having to ask the government for permission.” Apparently his feelings on the issue were echoed by the Louisiana Senate as it passed through the Senate with a veto-proof 27 to 11 vote.
In a story from the Louisiana Radio Network we learn that Morris did stipulate that those with felony records would still not be eligible to carry. The legislation was also slightly amended to extend the conceal carry right to any persons visiting Louisiana.
Of those voting in favor of the bill was Houma Senator “Big” Mike Fesi, who believes that a recent mass shooting in Houma could have been dampened if more citizens had been conceal carrying. He said, “Friday night we had five people shot in one of the clubs in Houma, if somebody would have been carrying they could have probably took the guy out now they still trying to find who it was.”
On the opposite side of the argument was Lafayette Senator Gerald Boudreaux, who believes this will just worsen America’s gun problem. “You see what happens is when we continue to say everybody get a gun, it’s like the wild wild west.”
