The effort by Louisiana lawmakers, particularly Rep. Danny McCormick (R), has been years in the making.
It appeared constitutional carry would become state law in 2021 when the proposal was advanced to then-Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) with a veto-proof majority. However, he rejected the bill and a few state senators flipped to spell its demise.
But this week’s special session on crime and public safety at the state capitol may produce a different outcome.
New Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) ran for office on a platform that included staunch support for gun rights. Plus, both the House and Senate appear poised to sail the measure through to allow any law-abiding citizen 18 or over the right to bear a concealed weapon without the government’s permission.
Louisiana would become the 28th state to enact constitutional carry if this year’s push is successful.
It is competing with South Carolina for that honor, though the Palmetto State’s course is not quite as clear. The state House last week rejected changes to the constitutional carry bill enacted by the South Carolina Senate in January.
Instead, the House re-passed its earlier bill by an 85-26 vote.
House Majority Leader Davey Hiott (R) posted afterward on X, formerly Twitter, that the lower chamber “will return a clean version of the Constitutional Carry — Second Amendment Preservation Act to the Senate next week.”
He asserted the bill in its original form “best reflects the fundamental rights and freedoms of our constituents.”
With a legislative impasse looming in South Carolina, it may well be Louisiana which takes the honor of becoming the 28th constitutional carry state.
