Effective Monday, May 11, ATF Form 4 applicants with a valid Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) will be able to receive Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) certification from the Louisiana State Police. The LSP’s application process is only valid for those seeking to obtain a suppressor, short-barreled shotgun, or short-barreled rifle. With many CLEOs refusing to sign NFA applications because of personal bias or political opinions, this process is a major step forward to secure your right to purchase and take possession of NFA items.
Your NRA, along with in-state industry partners and the American Suppressor Association, has been working with Governor Bobby Jindal’s office, the Louisiana State Police and state Rep. Barry Ivey (R-Baton Rouge) towards facilitating this process for law-abiding Louisianans - both now and in the event that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (BATFE) adopts the Obama Administration's proposed rule changes in 41P to require CLEO certification on all NFA applications.
Applicants must submit an application to verify their CHP status, their Form 4, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Louisiana State Police to obtain certification. Visit www.lsp.org (Concealed Handgun Permit Unit page) for more information on this process.
In other good news, last month, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) posted an open letter to all Louisiana Federal Firearms Licensees (FFL) stating that Louisiana CHPs issued after March 9, 2015, “qualify as an alternative to the background check required by the Brady law.” Prior to receiving a CHP, applicants are put through a rigorous background check that goes well beyond the NICS check required to purchase a firearm at retail. Those with permits issued after March 9, 2015, seeking to purchase a firearm from a dealer will still need to fill out ATF Form 4473 and present valid Government-issued photo identification, but are exempt from the NICS check that generally follows. This reform was facilitated by the passage of HB 1066 in the 2014 legislative session, sponsored by former state Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Bossier) and signed into law by Governor Jindal.
Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates.
Note, your NRA-ILA has previously reported on House Bill 488 which originally failed to advance from the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee on a 7-8 vote several weeks ago as it was written. This week, the committee advanced a scaled-back version of HB 488 which no longer includes the provisions that NRA had objected to. Those provisions include, seeking to expand misdemeanor offenses and the types of protective orders that would result in a firearm possession disqualification.
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