The Louisiana House voted Wednesday to allow concealed carriers to be armed for self-defense on K-12 and college campuses.
The legislation, House Bill 602, is sponsored by state Rep. Blake Miguez (R-Erath) and does not differentiate between public and private colleges.
The Times-Picayune reports Louisiana law currently prohibits concealed carriers from being armed on campus for self-defense. HB 602 would change that by allowing campus visitors with concealed permits to keep their guns on their persons for defense of themselves and others.
The bill is not intended to arm teachers or students, but to change the current scenario which requires campus visitors to disarm even though they have carry permits. Miguez made clear that his focus is on “self-defense.”
State Rep. Terry Landry (D-New Iberia) expressed concern about adopting legislation that would let parents with concealed carry permits remain armed while meeting “administrators and teachers about a disciplinary matter regarding their children.” But his concerns did not win the day.
HB 602 passed by a vote of 59 to 36 and now goes to the Senate.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.