NEW ORLEANS — In the wake of Sunday’s mass shooting in the Warehouse District, there has been a push by New Orleans law enforcement to make changes to the newly passed law that would allow concealed gun carry without a permit in Louisiana.
“New Orleans is unique. And this is not a one-size-fits-all bill. And so, what would apply and maybe be perfectly acceptable in a different part of the state of Louisiana, it's not going to be effective for the entire city of New Orleans. Too much gun violence as it is in the city. We've made great strides. This will reverse the strides,” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said in an interview on WWL Louisiana Morning News.
Chief Kirkpatrick wants to see a proposed “firearm-free” zone expanded beyond the French Quarter to include the Marigny, Central Business District, and the Warehouse District where Sunday’s mass shooting happened.
“We've looked at it internally, it would be Calliope over to the Marigny and then Rampart down to the river, because it would encompass the main thoroughfares that our tourists would be. The Superdome, down to the warehouse, entertainment area, and the Convention Center. So, it'd be broader than just the French Quarter,” Kirkpatrick explained.
Kirkpatrick said the new concealed carry bill as it stands does not have clear language, because of this, the chief says the bill is not limited to handguns but could include carrying a concealed high-powered rifle like the one Kirkpatrick said was used in the Warehouse District mass shooting.
House Bill 498, presented by Louisiana Representative Alonzo Knox is scheduled to be discussed Wednesday in the House Committee Administration of Criminal Justice meeting.
The proposed bill will carve out any place deemed a “major entertainment district” as a “firearm-free zone.”
Chief Kirkpatrick is sending an NOPD deputy chief to Baton Rouge to testify about the difficulty law enforcement in New Orleans will have with policing amid the newly passed permitless concealed carry law.
“There is a door open among the legislators to I think they realize that maybe it isn't a good build for all parts of New Orleans. So, there is a door open to carve out certain sections of New Orleans such as the French Quarter. But I think that to be as effective as possible the carve-out if we're going to do a carve-out would be what I would call the hospitality parts of New Orleans,” said Kirkpatrick.
Later on Wednesday, the Louisiana Criminal Justice Committee discusses 'firearm-free zones' and other bills in relation to weapon laws and crime and punishment.
Watch coverage of the committee meeting below:
New Orleans Councilmember-at-large Helena Moreno also addressed the committee on the need for a 'firearm-free zone' for the city, as seen in the video below:
Rep. Knox voluntarily deferred his bill that would create firearm-free zones.
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