Louisiana: Your Action Needed: House Committee to Consider Multiple Gun Bills on Wednesday

On Wednesday, the following bills will be heard in the House Administration of Criminal Justice committee. Please contact committee members about the below gun bills.

Pro-Gun Bills: SUPPORT

House Bill 281, sponsored by Rep. Blake Miguez, removes vague language in Louisiana’s existing preemption statute to prevent a patchwork of laws throughout the state that could potentially and unknowingly ensnare law-abiding gun owners, turning them into a criminal unintentionally. 

House Bill 235, sponsored by Rep. Beryl Amedee, adds a place of worship to justifiable use of force or violence in self-defense. This would apply Louisiana’s current self-defense protections to law abiding citizens that exercise their right to self-defense in a place of worship. 

Gun Control Bills: OPPOSE

House Bill 483, sponsored by Rep. Gary Carter, seeks to create so-called “red flag” laws that do not protect due process and would allow for the seizure of firearms pursuant to an ex parte hearing. The NRA will continue to oppose any proposal that does not fully protect due process rights.  We will only support an ERPO process that strongly protects both Second Amendment rights and due process rights at the same time. 

House Bill 101, sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Harris, creates a “Voluntary Do Not Sell List” that does not contain a safeguard to guarantee the identity of individuals putting themselves on the list. Therefore, anyone could call and put another law-abiding citizen on a list to remove their rights involuntarily. Further, this legislation does not properly address a process for the reinstatement of rights without potentially risking further prohibition. 

Again, please contact members of the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee and ask them to SUPPORT HB281 and HB235 and OPPOSE HB483 and HB101.