Louisiana Senate Passes Permitless Carry Despite the Majority of Americans Opposing;  Louisiana Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond

Polling shows over 80 percent of gun owners, non-gun owners, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents agree that comprehensive safety standards are critical in issuing concealed carry permits.

BATON ROUGE, LA. – The Louisiana chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement in response to Senate Republicans passing SB 1, legislation to allow permitless carry, which would effectively roll back Louisiana’s foundational gun safety policy that requires Louisianans to have a permit to carry a concealed gun and receive training on carrying a concealed firearm in public. The bill now awaits a vote in the House. 

This vote comes on the heels of the fatal mass shooting at the Kansas City Superbowl Parade this past week and this extreme legislation would put Louisianians at risk of even more gun violence. Research shows that states that have weakened or eliminated their carry permit requirement, which Tennessee and Missouri have done, have experienced a 13-15 percent increase in violent crime rates. Louisiana lawmakers must reject this deadly attempt. 

“Louisiana lawmakers have chosen to make our beaches, restaurants, grocery stores, parks, and everywhere else we go more vulnerable to gun violence, ” said Angelle Bradford, a volunteer with the Louisiana chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our Senators had the opportunity to Louisian lawmakers a chance to reject this attempt to further endanger their citizens, and instead, take common-sense steps to save lives from gun violence, but once again, they failed. More guns will not make Louisianans any more free, in fact, it’ll only restrict freedom to go about their lives without fear of gun violence. ”

“There is no reason that the top priority of our lawmakers should be more guns in more places when we’ve seen the impact of this extreme agenda elsewhere,” said Kylie Andreasen, a student at Baton Rouge Magnet High School and volunteer with the Louisiana Chapter of Students Demand Action. “Year after year,our lawmakers have watched as gun violence tears apart our communities, yet they still choose to cower to the gun lobby, reversing what little gun safety protections we have.  Make no mistake, our lawmakers are putting our lives in danger, and Louisianans will pay the price.”

Permitless carry would allow people to carry concealed, loaded handguns in public without a permit, criminal history check, or safety training, dismantling Louisiana’s system of responsible gun ownership. New research has also revealed that road rage shootings are at the highest level since 2018 and that states with permitless carry have by far the highest rate of road rage shootings with injuries or deaths. In fact, permitless carry states have nearly triple the rate of road rage shooting victimization than those states with the most protective standards. 

Because Louisiana does not require background checks on all sales, anyone can buy a gun from a private seller with no background check. This means that the permit application may be the only background check a person ever receives. Permitless carry takes away a vital tool from law enforcement to ensure a person carrying a gun in public isn’t a criminal with a dangerous history. Law enforcement across Louisiana including other states like Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, and South Carolina have been vocal opponents of permitless carry legislation. 

Concealed carry permitting systems enjoy overwhelming support nationally. The majority of Americans support concealed carry permitting systems that help ensure that only responsible gun owners can carry concealed guns in public — 88 percent of Americans think you should get a permit before carrying a concealed gun in public. Over 80 percent of gun owners, non-gun owners, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents agree that high safety standards are critical in issuing concealed carry permits.

In an average year, 1,125 people die and 2,936 are wounded by guns in Louisiana. Louisiana has the 2nd-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. In Louisiana, 84% of all homicides involve a gun, compared to 78% nationwide. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Louisiana. If Louisiana had the gun death rate of our National Leaders—the eight states with the strongest gun safety laws—we could save 10,354 lives in the next decade. More information about gun violence in Louisiana is available here.

If you would like to speak to a policy expert or Student Demand Action or Moms Demand Action volunteers who are greatly involved in this fight, please don’t hesitate to reach out.