Open Carry In Louisiana
BY Herschel Smith
10 years, 5 months ago
Steve Maloney, OffBeat’s web editor, texted me a photo that his uncle took in the French Quarter on Tuesday. Note the handgun on this young man’s right hip. My jaw dropped.
Did you know that the state of Louisiana recognizes “open carry,” which is apparently what this guy is practicing as he strolls down a street in the Quarter. “Concealed” guns require a special permit.
Scary.
In my personal opinion, New Orleans should be a gun-free zone, period. Politically, no one locally has the moxie to stand up for this concept. What you’ll hear is if we get rid of guns, “then only criminals will have guns.” Yeah, like this young man. Why does he need to carry a firearm with him in the French Quarter? Are we in the Wild, Wild West or something?
It make take a couple of decades, but there’s no reason why we need guns in our society for “protection.”
What are you going to do over that two decades to ensure that we don’t need or have guns, Jan? Are you going to send the police after folks with guns? Because if you are, then your entire philosophy is a lie. You just want only certain people to have guns.
But if the police aren’t going to confiscate guns, then how are you going to get them? We won’t willingly give them up, Jan. And what are you going to do about the criminals who want to use theirs for untoward things, Jan, like raping you or harming you in other ways? The police can’t take care of you.
As for open carry, do you carry all of your belongings – purse, credit cards, car keys, cell phone – inside your waist band? Why do you expect me to do that with my gun?
You do understand, don’t you, that making New Orleans a “gun free zone” won’t do anything to ensure that there aren’t guns in New Orleans? You do understand that rapists, thieves, robbers and muggers will still carry weapons, don’t you?
And you understand that folks who conceal carry consists of two groups: those who do so legally (like me), and those who do not do so illegally. You do understand that there are folks who carry concealed illegally, don’t you Jan? And you do understand that the whole notion that the gun being concealed makes you feel safer is entirely a false psychological construct, don’t you Jan?
Or perhaps not. Perhaps you haven’t thought through any of this. And perhaps you should.
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On June 2, 2014 at 10:50 pm, Married to a Cajun said:
Seriously? The Wife’s family still live in New Orleans. They won’t go near the Quarter without a side arm. While visiting last year, one cousin made sure to ask if we were packing.
On June 3, 2014 at 8:17 pm, Jim Dorchak said:
I used to fly DC-3s out of Slidel and we would go to the French quarter to see the scenes. It was more dangerous than any place I had been on the planet, and after 4 years in the Navy I had seen some hell holes. I was hit up by all types of nasty people. I wish I had a gun when I was there. Also the New Orleans Police is right up there as the #1 most corrupt and incompetent. I have a navy buddy who still lives there and he tells me that it has gotten worse than when I was there, so yea bring a gun or tow.
On June 4, 2014 at 8:07 pm, Mike Stollenwerk said:
45 states allow the open carry of properly holstered handguns. 30 of these states – including Louisiana – require no permit to open carry. Learn more at OpenCarry.org.
On June 8, 2014 at 3:13 pm, Observant person said:
The writer has obviously never been to new orleans! It is the first place one would open carry. That being said, the color and style of his cloths, the knife in the pocket, all shout dumb cop! Reason, anyone with a brain and a gun, would carry more than 15 seconds worth of ammo, and they would be carrying cuffs of some sort. They would also carry their wallet in their off side so that when a real cop challenges him, it won’t look like he’s going for his gun when he goes for his wallet.
On June 14, 2014 at 8:53 am, postman7z said:
I lived in New Orleans for over 14 years (70-80’s) and we needed a gun back then. I go there once in awhile and would like to carry my gun but you cannot go into bars with your concealed gun. Anyway banning guns in the French Quarter would mean only the criminals would have guns and everyone else would be their pray at least now they are never sure who has or doesn’t have a gun so they aren’t as brazen. If not for New Orleans and it high murder rate among teh community the states high homicide rate would not be very high.