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Louisiana Senate Fails To Override Veto Of Constitutional Carry

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Thanks to a couple of Democrat defectors and three Republican flip-floppers, the Louisiana legislature’s attempt to override Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of Constitutional Carry went down to defeat on Monday afternoon. The 23-15 vote wasn’t enough to meet the two-thirds majority necessary to send the bill to House, where Republicans had larger numbers and a better chance of success.

Republicans were hindered by the absence of GOP Senator Ronnie Johns, who announced last week that he wouldn’t be attending the special session because of a previously scheduled knee replacement surgery. As we mentioned on Monday, however, both Johns and GOP Sen. Patrick Connick (another “nay” vote today) have been the subject of rumors around the statehouse; Johns is allegedly up for the position of Gaming Commissioner, with Connick allegedly “trading his vote to override for infrastructure funding in his district,” according to the website The Hayride.

As it turns out, Connick wasn’t the only Republican to flip-flop on Constitutional Carry. According to the official vote count, the GOP’s Louie Bernard and Franklin Foil also switched from supporting the legislation during the regular session to voting against it in the veto override attempt. Additionally, Democrats Gary Carter, Jr. and Gary Smith, Jr. decided to toe the party line and back Edwards’ veto despite voting in favor of Constitutional carry just a few weeks ago.

The excuse for the flip-flopping will be that law enforcement objections to the bill caused these senators to change their mind. But frankly, those objections don’t make much sense, and still don’t stand up under scrutiny.

“We’re not opposed to concealed carry. We’re opposed to concealed carry without education and without training,” said Fabian Blache Jr., executive director of the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police.

Louisiana’s gunowners are allowed, under current law, to carry a firearm in public without a permit if the weapon is visible. To conceal it, a permit is needed. That requires undergoing a background check and a 9-hour training course.

Col. Lamar Davis, the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said that when he taught concealed carry training courses, he was concerned by the lack of knowledge, concern and capability among those who entered his class.

Davis added that if his students hadn’t received training, “many of them could have shot themselves right there on the range.”

Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said permitless carry is an issue of “officer safety,” and said that without training, he worried those carrying won’t know of their legal obligation to notify law enforcement that they’re packing a firearm when approached.

As noted above, open carry without a license is already legal in Louisiana. Honestly, why should it be a criminal offense to put on a jacket or keep your shirt untucked? If the issue is training, then why can you openly carry without attending a 9-hour course?

I’m all in favor of training, and in fact I’d encourage gun owners to regularly take training courses and to practice on their own as well. Heck, I think that the Louisiana State Police should host their own firearms training courses and open them to the public. A training mandate and a licensing requirement, on the other hand, can serve as a genuine roadblock for individuals who may suddenly find themselves in a situation where they feel the need to carry a firearm in self-defense.

Let’s also not pretend that the current law is preventing criminals from illegally carrying a gun. Punishment (at least for a first offense) is at most a six-month jail sentence and/or a $500 fine, but the vast majority of defendants are going to get offered a plea bargain and end up on probation. The current law doesn’t offer enough consequences to dissuade many criminals from illegally carrying, but it does prevent most law-abiding Louisianans from running the risk of a misdemeanor criminal record.

Besides, it’s not like Louisiana would be the first state in the Union to take this step. If the veto override had been successful, Louisiana would have become the 22nd Constitutional Carry state, and not a single state has voted to repeal the law because of unforeseen problems. You can still find plenty of firearms instructors, gun ranges, and training classes in states that adopted Constitutional Carry years ago. You’ll even find plenty of concealed carry licensees, since many gun owners choose to retain their license so they can carry in states that recognize it.

Consider me skeptical about the reasons why Constitutional Carry died in Louisiana this session, and if I hear about a shiny new infrastructure project in Patrick Connick’s district or Ronnie Johns being appointed Gaming Commissioner you’ll never convince me that objections from police were what really derailed the veto override attempt. Instead, that will be confirmation that the worst kind of politics killed the bill: a governor’s back-scratching and arm-twisting and the willingness (perhaps even the eagerness) by some lawmakers to play along.

Arkansas Removing Carry License Fees For Active, Retired Military

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Arkansas is already a Constitutional Carry state (sort of, anyway), but just like every other permitless carry state, you can still obtain a concealed carry license if you want one or need one to be able to lawfully carry in other states. And just like the vast majority of states, obtaining that carry license will cost you; almost $100 if you’re under the age of 65 and a little more than $60 if you’re a senior citizen.

However, thanks to a new law set to take effect next week, some Arkansas will be able to obtain a carry license free of charge. Active duty and retired members of the military will soon be exempt from those mandatory fees, and Second Amendment supporters like Logan Lee, owner of the 141 Shooting Range in Bono, Arkansas are glad to see the change take place.

“I feel like carrying a handgun is a God-given right protected by our Constitution,” Lee said. “And that’s what our service members do. They go out there and help preserve our government, our constitutional rights, and if we can make it a little easier for them; they already paid an awesome price for us, why not extend that olive branch out a little bit and let’s take away the fee for them.”

Personally, I’d rather that Arkansas just take a page from Indiana’s legislative playbook and remove the fees for all concealed carry applicants, but I appreciate lawmakers trying to do something nice for those who’ve served this country in uniform. If Arkansas wasn’t a Constitutional Carry state, then I might have stronger objections, but as it is the Arkansas Court of Appeals has declared that unless there’s unlawful intent to use a firearm as a weapon against another person, carrying a firearm without a concealed carry license isn’t a crime.

Still, ideally the state would remove any and all government-imposed financial burdens on the exercise of a civil right, even for those who aren’t active duty or retired military. It is, after all, a right of the People that we’re talking about, so the idea of special privileges being granted to anyone in association with that right kinda sticks in my craw a bit.

I have a feeling I’m probably in the minority here, and the new law is certainly smart politics in Arkansas, where one of the biggest fights in the legislature this year involved an intra-party debate over a Second Amendment Sanctuary bill that was approved by lawmakers but vetoed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The state Senate voted to override the governor’s veto, but the state House instead rewrote the bill to address Hutchinson’s concerns, and the House and Senate ended up passing a new version of the Second Amendment Sanctuary bill that Hutchinson agreed to sign.

Gun control legislation, on the other hand, doesn’t stand a chance of getting to Hutchinson’s desk, thanks to strong pro-2A majorities in both the House and the Senate. The debate is over which pro-gun measures should be legislative priorities, not whether or not lawmakers should be trying to protect or restrict the right to keep and bear arms.

Maybe next year Republicans will decide to take the next step and remove the licensing fees for all gun owners, but for now at least those who’ve served and sacrifice in defense of this nation won’t have to pay for the privilege of exercising their right to bear arms.

God and Guns; Ron DeSantis Just Secured Both Voting Blocs

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If Governor Ron DeSantis plans to run for the presidency in 2024, this move just secured him the Gun Vote and the Religious Right.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill permitting concealed carry permit holders to bring their firearms with them to places of worship as the fight to protect the Second Amendment across the nation continues.

The governor signed House Bill 259 into law late last month, which allows licensed Floridians to carry at churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other religious places. DeSantis’ new law which took effect immediately received sweeping support when it passed both legislative chambers in the state just weeks ago.

The law also permits those individuals to bring their firearms to “property owned, rented, leased, borrowed, or lawfully used by a church, synagogue, or other religious institution,” according to the bill’s text. This also means those same gun owners will now be permitted to carry guns at religious institutions that share property with schools.

“Under the bill, a person who has a concealed weapon or firearm license may carry a concealed weapon or firearm on the property of a religious institution regardless of whether the property is also used as a school,” the bill’s summary states.

With Dementia Joe and his handlers rabid targeting of lawful gun owners, coupled with their rabid attack on individual liberty—most profoundly expressed through people who worship something beyond themselves—this is a smart move.

Unlike the gun control lobby’s fear of untrained individuals having the ability to openly carry a gun under Constitutional Carry laws, this bill focuses on those who already have a concealed carry permit. CCW holders are properly trained, and generally have a CCW that covers more than one state, which means they are versed in gun laws, their rights, and their responsibilities. So, the clear and smart wording in this law minimizes the outcry from the nattering nabobs of negativity.

But, DeSantis does not trample on private property and business rights with this move:

The bill’s summary clarifies that the new law “does not limit the private property rights of a church, synagogue, or other religious institution to exercise control over property that the church, synagogue, or other religious institution owns, rents, leases, borrows, or lawfully uses.”

It’s a fine and thoughtful line that had to be drawn, but apparently DeSantis succeeded. Florida’s HB 259 is getting responses of praise, criticism, and “Meh” from all sides.

From local Miami CBS:

Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, said the image gun-rights proponents paint of people rising up to take out a “bad guy” isn’t reality.

“I go back to this notion that if we do away with gun-free zones, and everybody’s packing a firearm, if a bad person starts shooting, well, you know what, the good guys will rise up and save us,” Farmer said.

“Folks, that has proven to be a fallacy as well. There hasn’t been any Dirty Harry or John McClane or Rambo that’s come to the defense of anyone in any of these mass shootings.”

From the NRA-ILA:

HB 259 RESTORES the private property rights of religious institutions AND the self-defense rights of people who go to church.

Church goers, who are licensed by the state to carry firearms for self-defense, are currently being deprived of the same rights they have when they go shopping, go into a business, or onto any other private property. This bill fixes that.

And from the Gun Owners of America advocacy group:

It was your hard work and effort on pressuring our lawmakers that got this bill passed. Thank you!

We at Gun Owners of America felt that Florida’s lawmakers could have done much more than what was offered in this bill. While we support this bill and fought for its passage to become law, the legislative leadership has been a let down to Florida’s gun owners since there were solid pro-gun bills like Constitutional Carry (HB 123), and they did not allow that bill to advance.

I know this news is hard to hear, but Florida is in a bad spot at the moment in regard to the advancement of gun rights.

Florida is a state with 102 Republicans holding a Supermajority in the legislature. As such, you’d think this state would have pro-gun bills flying through and reaching the Governor’s desk in record time.

You cannot please all of the people all of the time, but the mark of a quality leader is one who can straddle these lines, and DeSantis seems to be hitting all the right notes in that regard.

As a churchgoer and a gun owner I applaud this, and hope to see more of it. Sadly, until we get rid of our Democrat governor and Legislative Super Majority, we will see nothing like this in the once-Golden State of California. Contrast the 2019 mass shooting at a Jewish synagogue in Poway, CA to the 2019 Church shooting in White Settlement, TX where hero Jack Wilson took down the active shooter, and you can understand why vigilance of this kind should be the rule, not the exception.

There are too many bad actors who are hostile towards religious institutions of any kind, hostile towards people of faith, and hostile towards lawful gun owners. Since these three groups are often lumped into one, why not have the legal capacity to not only protect yourself against that hostility, but to protect your fellow believers?

Could A GOP Flip-Flop Doom Constitutional Carry In Louisiana?

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The short version is yes, it easily could. The bigger question is why on earth would any Republican who voted for Constitutional Carry during Louisiana’s regular legislative session turn around and vote against it during the veto override session that begins on Tuesday?

The answer, if you believe the rumors floating around Baton Rouge, is that two Republicans have had their arms twisted by Gov. John Bel Edwards in advance of the session. Sen. Ronnie Johns won’t be in attendance this week, allegedly because of a knee replacement surgery, while Sen. Patrick Connick is rumored to be now a “no” on Constitutional Carry after voting in favor of the permitless carry legislation just a few weeks ago.

Media reports indicate that Sen. Johns has been promised a Gaming Commissioner job by Edwards, while Sen. Connick trading his vote to override for infrastructure funding in his district.

Reports out of Baton Rouge also indicate that a majority of Democrat lawmakers who originally voted in favor of Constitutional Carry during the regular session are also backing out on the vote.

The NRA called out Connick on social media this past weekend, though they didn’t reference the allegation that Connick is engaging in some backdoor wheeling and dealing with the governor in exchange for his vote.

Thanks in large part to Huey Long’s time as governor/dictator in Louisiana back in the 1930s, Louisiana’s executive enjoys far more authority than most gubernatorial positions, including a line-item veto in appropriation bills and the power to determine which publicly-funded projects get to proceed swiftly and which ones are put on the back burner. That, in turn, allows governors like Edwards the power to strong-arm lawmakers into going along with his vetoes, which is a major reason why this week’s session is the first special session called to attempt an override in the state’s recent history. Generally speaking, there’s not much point in going up against the governor when that office and its occupier can dangle so many carrots in front of legislators.

I reached out directly to Sen. Connick for comment, but received no reply to my repeated attempts to get him on the record about where he stands on Constitutional Carry. I suspect that unless Connick is overwhelmed with contacts from his constituents urging him to keep his word (and his vote) on the issue, the Republican senator is going to claim that it was opposition from law enforcement and not the promise of an infrastructure project in his district that convinced to change his mind.

Maybe voters will buy that excuse, but I don’t, and I doubt many gun owners will believe it either. Louisiana already allows for open carry without a license, so the supposed concerns about people carrying with a lack of training don’t really add up. Besides, it’s not like Constitutional Carry is some unheard of idea. Louisiana would be the 22nd state in the nation to adopt the measure if the legislature successfully overrides Gov. Edwards’ veto, and some of the states with the lowest crime rates in the nation like New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine recognize the right of legal gun owners to carry in self-defense without the need for a government permission slip.

With Sen. Johns a no-show for this week’s session, Patrick Connick’s vote could end up being the difference between Constitutional Carry becoming law or just another vetoed bill. The senator might be worried about the reaction by police, or maybe he’s just looking at bringing some pork back home to his district. Either way, if he’s hoping to continue his career in Republican politics, he needs to put the rights of his constituents ahead of any sweetheart deal from the governor’s office or unfounded concerns by some chiefs and sheriffs who are happy with the status quo.

Despite Gun Controls, Most NJ Residents Say “Gun Violence” A Top Concern

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If gun control really worked to reduce violent crime, then folks living in New Jersey should have nothing to worry about. After all, in order to purchase a firearm in the state, residents must first apply for permission from their local police departments; obtaining a Firearms ID card before buying a long gun, or a Handgun Purchase Permit if they want a pistol. New Jersey has universal background checks in place, along with bans on so-called assault weapons and “large capacity” magazines, as well as gun registration laws, waiting periods, and plenty of other restrictions on law-abiding citizens that are supposed to prevent criminals from illegally obtaining a firearm.

Despite all those laws, Garden State residents responding to a new survey say they’re afraid of “gun violence” on a daily basis.

When it comes to fears over gun violence, New Jersey ranks as one of the most-concerned states in the country, according to SafeWise’s “The State of Safety in America 2021” survey.

According to FBI statistics cited in the survey, more guns have been sold in New Jersey so far this year than in 2019, while at the same time, numbers from the New Jersey State Police show that gun violence is on the rise in the Garden State.

Rebecca Edwards, lead safety reporter at SafeWise, said the survey found that 67% of New Jersey residents are highly concerned about gun violence daily, much higher than the national average at 53%.

She said what’s interesting is that the states that are most worried about gun violence don’t tend to necessarily be states that have higher gun sales or have the highest gun ownership rates. They are also not states where it’s easy to get guns.

In fact, the full report by SafeWise indicates that “gun violence” is also a top concern in other gun control utopias like California, New York, and Illinois (as well as in some Second Amendment-friendly states like Texas, Alabama, and Florida.

Gun control activists love to claim that gun sales are driven by fear; that the “gun lobby” and the firearms industry profits when Americans are afraid. When it comes to the states least concerned about “gun violence,” however, there’s a common trend. According to SafeWise, here are the states where most residents aren’t worried about gun-related violence:

  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont
  • Maine
  • Iowa
  • North Dakota
  • Montana
  • Wyoming
  • Idaho
  • Utah

Every single one of those states is a Constitutional Carry state, where if you can legally own a firearm you can legally carry one. These states also have some of the lowest violent crime rates in the nation, so it’s not surprising that “gun violence” wouldn’t be much of a concern. It does, however, confound the gun control narrative that gun owners are scared of their own shadows, which is why they buy guns in the first place. It also destroys the “more guns, more crime” myth because these states also have some of the highest rates of gun ownership in the country, in addition to low levels of violent crime.

According to CBS News more than half of residents in Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, and Wyoming own firearms. New Jersey, on the other hand, is tied with Massachusetts for the lowest gun ownership per capita at just under 15%.

New Jersey’s gun control laws seem to be doing a much better job of preventing residents from exercising their Second Amendment rights than decreasing either fears of “gun violence” or actual violent crimes. Despite the state’s draconian gun control laws, however, SafeWise found that 13% of survey respondents in the Garden State say that they protect their property with a firearm; almost triple the 5% that SafeWise recorded last year. Even in one of the most anti-gun states in the Union, more residents are embracing their Second Amendment rights and choosing to live with less fear.