Louisiana Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Right to Bear Arms Constitutional Amendment

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee C passed Senate Bill 303 by a 6 to 1 vote. Introduced by state Senator Neil Riser (R-32), SB 303 would improve the current provision in the state constitution and provide Louisianans the strongest and most comprehensive constitutional language of any state, guaranteeing our Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Louisiana for future generations. SB 303 will be debated onto the Senate floor next week.

The language of SB303 reads:

“The right of individuals to acquire, keep, possess, transport, carry, transfer, and use arms for defense of life and liberty, and for all other legitimate purposes is fundamental and shall not be denied or infringed, and any restriction on this right must be subjected to strict scrutiny.”

This amendment is necessary because the Louisiana Supreme Court eviscerated the current right to keep and bears arms provision in 2001, action which has left Louisianans with little protection from overreaching state-imposed gun control or in the event the Heller or McDonald cases are overturned.

In fact, the current Louisiana provision has been so weakened by the state court that it would likely only prevent a complete across-the-board ban on firearms. Strengthening Louisiana’s state constitutional protection is necessary and will provide a critical defense against future efforts to infringe on Louisianan’s right to keep and bear arms.

Please contact your state Senator TODAY and respectfully urge his or her support for SB 303.  For your state Senator’s contact information, please click here.