BATON ROUGE — Members of a Senate Committee advanced a bill that would allow revelers to carry guns along parade routes.
House Bill 393 would allow spectators or bystanders at parades to carry firearms, as long as they are not participating in the parade and are otherwise legally allowed to carry a weapon.
State law currently prohibits carrying concealed handguns in several locations, including parades and demonstrations held under a government-issued permit.
HB 393 comes in the wake of a law passed last year allowing individuals 18 and older to carry concealed weapons in public without a permit, as long as they are not prohibited under federal or state law from possessing a firearm.
The bill was reported favorably out of the Senate Judiciary C Committee earlier today with Senator Regina Barrow as the only committee member voting against the bill.
Barrow expressed concerns about the effects the potential law could have on parade goers and questioned if the bill would have financial impacts for parades obtaining liability insurance.
“Are you guys aware of any other states that have expanded to where individuals can now bring guns to a parade?” Barrow asked. “I believe in the Second Amendment right, but I also believe in sensible gun control.”
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America member, Megan Mikeda, expressed similar concerns.
“We know that many people attending Mardi Gras in Louisiana are under the influence of alcohol. There’s strong evidence that people under the influence of alcohol are at an elevated risk of violent behavior , and (evidence) shows that heavy alcohol abuse is associated with a higher likelihood of firearm victimization. This is the same reason why in the same (existing) law that prohibits firearms at parades, we also have a clause prohibiting firearms in bars,” Miketa said.
“Parades are a family affair here in Louisiana, which is why it’s important to keep them firearms free. Parents should be worried about helping their kid catch a toy from a float, not about someone being shot and killed over a petty argument.”
Senator Jay Morris said that even if the bill becomes law, it will still be illegal to be in possession of a firearm while intoxicated, no matter where at.
“Anybody who comes to a parade with a firearm that is intoxicated is breaking the law. This does not allow that. Whether it’s a permit carry or a permitless carry, that person that comes to the parade intoxicated with a firearm is breaking the law, and this does nothing to allow for that,” Morris said.
Multiple members of the Baton Rouge based Krewe of South Downs also testified in opposition of the bill.
“As a dancer in the Krewe of South Downs Parade, I am always in a vulnerable state but have typically not been afraid. Parts of my creative costume may obstruct my peripheral vision, catch on costumes of other parade members and limit my ability to run from danger or dive to the ground to save my own life,” Melanie Driscoll said.
Krewe member and Louisiana based physician, Holley Galland Haymaker, also testified against the bill.
“It’s been decades since I worked in an emergency room dealing with gunshot victims, but I have worked more recently with individuals who suffer the long-term effects of that trauma, and I’ve seen that (trauma) in every place I’ve worked, and I too have experienced that trauma,” Haymaker said, pointing to Louisisana’s sky high gun violence rate as a reason to oppose the bill.
According to the Center for Disease Control, Louisiana ranks second behind Mississippi for the highest firearm mortality rate in the country. 28.2 out of 100,00 residents in the state died as a result of gun violence in 2022, which is the most recent statistics given by the CDC.
Represenatives with the Louisiana Shooting Association and the National Rifle Association testified in favor of the bill’s passage. Both groups said this bill was only an attempt to clarify existing law, explaining that they believe the existing law only prohibits an individual from carrying a weapon in a parade, as a member of a Krewe, and not at a parade as a reveler.
“Revised statute 401379.3 and 9 has prohibited the holder of a concealed handgun permit from carrying a concealed gun in a parade or demonstration for which a permit is issued by a government entity. It has not prohibited carry at a parade,” Louisiana Shooting Association President Zelenka Daniel explained.
Last year, a bill from Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, proposed making it illegal to carry firearms along parade routes without a concealed carry permit, but it did not advance out of the House.
The state legislature is also considering multiple other bills that would change Louisiana’s laws on where firearms can be legally carried.
Senate Bill 101 would change that, allowing anyone legally permitted to carry a firearm to do so up to a school’s property line. The bill would also remove “vocational-technical” schools from the legal definition of “school,” effectively eliminating gun-free zones at those campuses statewide.
House Bill 407 would repeal the requirement that concealed handgun permit applicants be Louisiana residents, allowing non-residents to apply for and obtain a permit.
Both those bills are expected to be debated on the House floor or in future Senate committee meetings over the coming days.
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