With the prospect of stricter gun control once again front and center in the American discourse after the tragic school shooting in Ulvade, Tex., that took the lives of 19 students and their teachers, you may be wondering what are the regulations and restrictions on firearm ownership in Louisiana?
The bottom line: There aren’t many.
AGE RESTRICTIONS
According to federal law, anyone looking to purchase a “long gun,” a category that includes rifles, shotguns, and even AR-15s, the purchaser must be at least 18 years of age. That age restriction rises to 21 for handguns.
BACKGROUND CHECKS
Every federally-licensed gun dealer is required by federal law to perform a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) on anyone looking to buy a gun. The system checks the potential purchaser’s criminal history, including any domestic violence history, along with flagging them for any past drug use or mental health issues.
But then there’s what’s called the “gun show loophole.” Private sellers are not required to run a background check, so anyone looking to buy a gun from a friend, at a yard sale, or, yes, at a gun show can do so regardless of what they might have in their past.
PERMITTING
No permit is required for gun ownership in the state of Louisiana. However, if you want to carry a gun hidden on your person, you are required to obtain a concealed carry permit.
Requirements for that particular permit including passing a basic safety class and training with a certified weapons instructor. (Acceptable certifications come from having undergone training as a police officer or getting certified by the National Rifle Association.)
The permit also requires a fee of $125.
However, this law could be subject to change as the state legislature is mulling a “Constitutional Carry” proposal that would allow anyone over 21 to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.
GUN-FREE ZONES
Despite Louisiana’s open embrace of guns, there are a number of places where they are not allowed, according to Louisiana State Police.
Any school "firearm free zone" as defined in R.S. 14:95.6.
A law enforcement office, station, or building
A detention facility, prison, or jail
A courthouse or courtroom, provided that a judge may carry such a weapon in his own courtroom
A polling place;A meeting place of the governing authority of a political subdivision
The state capitol building;Any portion of an airport facility where the carrying of firearms is prohibited under federal law, except that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, if the firearm is encased for shipment, for the purpose of checking such firearm as lawful baggage
Any church, synagogue, mosque or similar place of worship; See RS 40:1379.3 (U)
A parade or demonstration for which a permit is issued by a governmental entity
Any portion of the permitted area of an establishment that has been granted a Class A-General retail permit, as defined in Part II of Chapter 1 or Part II of Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises.
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