Carrying a handgun without a permit will become law in Louisiana after a controversial bill received final approval from lawmakers during a special session last week.
WWL's Newell Normand spoke with Louisiana State Representative Mandie Landry about the contentious permitless concealed carry bill.
"It was done so rushed and it was not done properly," Landry said. "Nobody is happy about it and law enforcement in particular is very displeased about what happened here. And I can't for the life of me understand why the legislature wasn't listening to them."
"This is incredibly dangerous and complicated, and it was done in a manner that did not respect the weapons involved, even, and the lives involved," she added.
The bill allows anyone 18 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit, training or any special firearms knowledge.
Gov. Jeff Landry has signaled that he plans to sign the legislation, making Louisiana the 28th state to allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
When Landry said the bill seems like it was "not well thought out" intentionally so that it would pass, Normand noted many people think law enforcement isn't proactive enough about guns and criminals have them anyway, so why can't responsible gunowners without having to jump through hoops?
"You can have a gun. Go take a class and get a permit. You can have one, it's not that hard. And that requirement to me is not onerous -- I know others disagree with me," Landry responded. "I learned that a permit is $25 a year, just a permit alone is $25. I'm happy to support legislation that makes it zero."
"While people who break the law might already have guns illegally, what we're doing with this is we're just going to have more people on the street with a gun who don't know how to use it," she added. "They'll say 'Well, I don't have to go through a class, I'm just going to buy one and keep it in my purse.'"
Listen to Normand's full conversation with Landry here .
Most Popular
Comments / 0