As Louisiana’s “permitless” concealed-carry law takes effect July 4, New Orleans officials and state Attorney General Liz Murrill squared off over the city’s attempt to limit the new law’s application.
The new law, which Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law in March, allows persons 18 and older to carry a concealed firearm — without a permit and without any training whatsoever — unless convicted of a felony or otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Former Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat who supports Second Amendment rights, had vetoed prior versions of the law. Landry, a former cop eager to burnish his right-wing bona fides on the national stage, enthusiastically supports so-called “constitutional carry” laws even though most law enforcement officials oppose the idea.
Murrill, a former Landry acolyte who served as Louisiana’s first solicitor general, said during her campaign for AG last fall that she carries a gun whenever she visits New Orleans. She had a concealed-carry permit at the time — and the required training.
New Orleans area lawmakers, including River Ridge Republican Sen. Kirk Talbot, whose family owns Lucky Dogs Inc., tried repeatedly to incorporate some exceptions in the new law for the French Quarter and other tourist-heavy areas, to no avail.
As a last resort, New Orleans officials came up with the idea of designating the Eighth District police station, located in the heart of the French Quarter on Royal Street, as a vocational-technical school for cops.
The new law prohibits concealed firearms within a 1,000-foot radius of schools. As applied to NOPD’s cop station-cum-vo-tech school, it would allow police to continue proactive confiscation of guns on large stretches of Bourbon, Royal and Chartres streets.
City officials acknowledged the move is an attempted end-around Louisiana’s permitless carry law, which they say will hamstring police and threaten safety in the Quarter.
"We weren't going to sit on our hands,” at-large Council Member Helena Moreno, a former state representative, said of the city’s gambit.
Moreno claimed in a statement that the effort is legit, adding, “We are eager to demonstrate to the AG the beneficial impact of this additional training site for our law enforcement officers. We have taken many diligent steps to meet criteria and believe this school will be a positive approach for additional training and educational opportunities for our NOPD."
Murrill disagrees. She issued a statement accusing the city of making up its own rules and cautioned police against trying to enforce the new gun-free zone, which she called “clearly not legal or effective.”
"I’m working hard to help keep New Orleans safe, but the City cannot avoid state law by unilaterally designating police stations ‘vo-tech locations,'” Murrill's statement said. “You cannot just ‘designate’ yourself a vo-tech school."
Murrill’s statement noted that vo-tech schools fall under the jurisdiction of a state higher education board. She also warned that the city could expose itself to civil rights lawsuits by arresting people based on the designation.
If neither side backs down, a courtroom showdown is inevitable.
Women, children, teachers, and the LGBTQ community lost at almost every turn.