It got close, but for a gun bill in Louisiana, the ending was conspicuously absent a cigar.
In late April, Louisiana’s House passed SB118, which would allow the permitless concealed carry of a handgun.
Current law requires a 9-hour training course.
Applicants must be at least 21 years old and pass a background check.
The measure — introduced by Republican state Sen. Jay Morris on March 30th — was passed by the House with amendments on May 27th, 73-28.
The Senate passed the revised version 27-9 on June 1st.
At the time, the Louisiana Illuminator called Gov. John Bel Edwards “a Democrat who largely supports gun rights.”
However, he’d also indicated he’d veto the bill.
Friday, that’s exactly what he did.
The measure attempted to follow in the footsteps of several states, including Arizona and Idaho.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed “constitutional carry” into law June 16th.
Prior to passage, Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner had said that measure was about trust:
“This bill, to me, is a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens. We cannot allow another session to come and go where we pay lip service for the Second Amendment by failing to fully restore and protect the rights of citizens granted by the Constitution.”
Along those lines, trust was bestowed in Tennessee on April 7th.
Texans will be able to carry concealed or open without a license September 1st. Tennesseans, July 1st.
Louisianans? They can already carry open without a permit, but concerning licenseless concealed carry, for the moment, they’ll have to wait.
As relayed by USA Today, Sen. Jay wasn’t shocked:
“I certainly can’t say it’s a surprise; the governor has been clear all along. But I’m still disappointed. This bill is for law-abiding and freedom-loving citizens.”
“The people of Louisiana want it,” he said, “and hopefully we will join our neighbors, like Texas and Mississippi, and pass constitutional carry with or without the governor’s signature.”
Such bills have surely become enlivened by the election of Joe Biden.
As you may know, Joe owns guns.
But he’s very down on the AR-14:
[Language Warning]
The eye level view of Joe Biden telling a Michigan auto worker "You're full of shit" and then shhhing a female staffer is a must watch.pic.twitter.com/gJ0BsP19UE
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 10, 2020
The President’s not fueling security among members of the NRA.
That goes double for owners of cannons:
BIDEN: "Those who say the blood of Patriots, you know, and all the stuff about how we’re gonna have to move against the government… If you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons." pic.twitter.com/BDawoxvMcd
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 23, 2021
Even so, in The Pelican State, the governor thinks constitutional carry’s for the birds.
From Gov. John’s June 25th statement:
“I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and an enthusiastic outdoorsman and hunter. But I simply cannot support carrying a concealed carry firearm without proper education and safety training – and I believe the majority of Louisianans agree with me.”
Whether they are or not, for now, SB118’s out of ammo.
But could Republicans reload? Could a veto override session at the end of July change the fate of the bill? It’s possible.
But, as Hayride.com put it, “A veto override session is so rare that it might well be unprecedented. We can’t remember one happening, and nobody we’ve asked about this can remember one, either.”
NOLA.com remembers:
The Louisiana Legislature appears to have only overturned a governor’s veto twice — for the first time in 1991 and and again in 1993. Both of those overrides took place during a regular legislative session. The Legislature has never actually called itself back into a special veto override session, as some House members are threatening to do this year.
Stay tuned for more.
-ALEX
See more pieces from me:
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