A New Orleans-area state senator say he is still working on a compromise to carve out an exception to Louisiana's new permitless concealed carry law for the French Quarter. However, that senator notes that he still has a long way to go to achieve that compromise.
"It's a challenge," State Senator Kirk Talbot said.
Talbot told WWL's Newell Normand that because the legislature is staunchly conservative, he's having a hard time selling his plan to his fellow lawmakers. Talbot said the biggest objection from his fellow Republicans is "that we're limiting their gun rights (and) that 'constitutional carry' means 'constitutional carry,' and there shouldn't be any carve-outs."
Talbot says most of the French Quarter is a gun-free zone already because of schools in the area, but he says the bill is needed to keep the first five blocks of Bourbon Street safe. That's because those five blocks are outside of that gun-free zone.
"Treat it as a bar because it is a big open bar," Talbot said. "I think Bourbon Street is a little bit different. Not many states or cities around this country (allow) open containers at all much less a strip of blocks that has that many people that are accessibly drinking."
Talbot also noted that the exception is necessary because police need it to get illegal guns and criminals off the city's streets.
"We took away reasonable suspicion from police when we go to constitutional carry," Talbot said. "When constitutional carry comes in, they can't do that for the most part any more, and that's what I'm trying to solve."
Talbot says the NOPD used reasonable suspicion to stop people in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras and recover around 100 guns. Talbot says if an exception to the permitless concealed carry law is not created for Bourbon Street, the NOPD won't have the ability to make similar recoveries in the future.
"If we don't do something, there are going to be more guns on Bourbon Street no matter how you slice it."
Talbot says he will bring a bill before a Senate committee next week.
