Since the announcement of what some believe is NOPD's pushback to the state's new constitutional carry law, the designation of the 8th district station as a vocational school thereby invoking a 1000 ft. radius gun free zone, some have said that there is no legal ground for the department to do so including Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. However, one legal analyst says not so fast.
Professor of Law at Loyola, Dane Ciolino, spoke with Tommy Tucker and says as he interprets the law, the NOPD and their legal counsel have some legal footing on this one.
“The concealed carry law does not limit the definition of a school to one governed by the State Department of Education. It just says any school, public or private, and vocational technical schools.”
Many have termed the NOPD's move to designate one if it's police station's a vo-tech school as a "work-around” but Ciolino says whether you call it a work-around, loophole, or technicality, what you cannot call it is illegal.
“It’s just following the rule of law. If the law says this and doesn’t say that, then you can adjust your conduct accordingly.”
There will be, no doubt, further debate on this topic, maybe even in court. But, Professor Ciolino says he sees that New Orleans has done it due diligence.
“What the lawyers for the city have done here, by just reading the statutory language, they have defined what a vo-tech school is and designated the station as one.”
