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Concealed carry in restaurants, school safety bills OK'd by Louisiana House

Concealed carry weapons permit students Johnny Bahan, left, and Rhonda Lodriguss attend a class at Gretna Gun Works in 2006. A bill passed by the Louisiana House on April 25, 2013 would allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons into restaurants. (Amanda McCoy, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Print By Lauren McGaughy, NOLA.com | The Times Picayune
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on April 25, 2013 at 2:36 PM, updated April 25, 2013 at 4:25 PM

Gun owners in Louisiana would be able to carry concealed weapons into restaurants that sell alcohol under a bill passed by the House on Thursday morning. The Legislature's lower chamber also passed a bill that would require public schools and law enforcement to jointly plan for live-shooter scenarios. Both now head to the Senate for more debate.

An earlier version of House Bill 48, sponsored by Rep. Henry Burns, R-Haughton, would have allowed only off-duty law enforcement to carry their guns into restaurants that serve alcohol. But an amendment approved in committee extended the provision to concealed carry permit holders.

Some lawmakers, including those on the committee, said Thursday they were unaware of what the amendment they approved last week actually did. They said they believed the bill shepherded through committee was only meant to allow police officers to carry guns into restaurants.

What do you think of the changes made to Rep. Henry Burns concealed carry bill?
I like it. I think Louisianans should be able to carry concealed weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol.
I don't like it. I think this bill could cause significant public safety problems.
I don't think it will make a difference since some concealed carry permit holders probably already carry into restaurants and others are unaware of it.
I don't know. I'd have to hear from more stakeholders, such as law enforcement, first.
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"When this bill was presented in committee, it was presented in the form that this was exemption for law enforcement officers," New Iberia Democrat Terry Landry, a former head of the state police, said Thursday. "But this bill now has changed to allow people who have concealed handgun permits to carry their weapons in restaurants that serve alcohol."

"This is not about politics for me. It's about what type of community we're going to live in. it's about the carnage and the killing and the violence in this state," Landry added, mentioning the state has the highest firearm death rates in the nation. He said he did not appreciate legislators trying to "sneak in" bill changes under their colleagues' noses.

After roughly 45 minutes of debate, the House approved the bill by a vote of 63-25. The vote was largely split along party lines, with one Republican, Frank Howard of Many, voting against the bill and 16 Democrats voting in favor.

Later in the morning, lawmakers passed a bill requiring direct coordination between school and law enforcement agencies when planning for emergency situations such as campus shootings.

Current law requires schools to have a "crisis management and response" plan in place. House Bill 718 would require schools to lay out these plans in strict coordination with local law enforcement, fire, public safety and emergency preparedness officials.

School principals would also be required to conduct a live-shooter drill within 30 days of the beginning of the school year and would be required to have student counseling available in the event of a shooting or other violent event.

The bill, which passed 87-0, is one of several school safety bills facing the Legislature in the wake of the December Newtown, Conn. shooting.