BATON ROUGE (WGNO) — Two bills regarding creating gun free zones were discussed at length by lawmakers in the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice meeting on Wednesday, April 17.
New Orleans Councilwoman Helena Moreno traveled to the state capitol to advocate for one of the bills being heard in the Wednesday meeting, along with New Orleans Police Department Deputy Superintendent Nicholas Gernon.
“We certainly support this bill. Our chief supports this bill. The city council supports this bill,” Moreno said.
The bill by Rep. Alonzo Knox would ban guns in places deemed entertainment districts like the French Quarter.
“It speaks to entities or municipalities that have a major sports arena that can have a capacity of 75,000 people,” Knox said. “It also speaks to an area that has an annual 15 million visitors.”
Gernon testified on behalf of all officers who are worried about how the permitless concealed carry law going into affect this summer will impact policing.
“During Mardi Gras last year, 111 guns were seized during these carnival celebrations, and most of these seizures just would not have occurred under the new permit less concealed carry law,” Gernon said.
Opposers argue gun free zones are even less safe.
“I just don’t know that this creating more of the fire arm free zones is going to do more of what we all want.”
“Let’s designate I-10 as a car free zone so we can stop DUI’s,” Devin Mcvay, Louisiana State Director for American Action Fund said. “Gun ban zones violate the second amendment, and they are dangerous for law abiding citizens. All this does is attract criminals to attack people who they know are defenseless because of the government.”
The bill was voluntary deferred after Moreno and Knox decided to address certain concerns with state Senator Kirk Talbot.
“We’re wondering if we could have another opportunity to get with Talbot and kind of work through some of these particular issues and work through the reciprocity issue with the concealed carry permit and try to get things in better shape,” Moreno said.
Talbot has also proposed a similar bill on gun free zones that would require a permit to carry concealed in the French Quarter, but that bill was not discussed in the committee meeting.
Another bill discussed during todays meeting, HB 750 by Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, would establish certain places, including school zones, child day care centers, and nursing facilities, as gun free areas.
The bill garnered little support by committee members; five yays and eight nays.
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