Louisiana Supreme Court upholds juvenile concealed handgun ban

[Redfairen]

Source: Associated Press

The Louisiana Supreme Court has upheld the state's ban on possession of concealed handguns by juveniles, rejecting arguments that a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2012 prohibits the Legislature from enacting concealed weapon laws.

Tuesday's opinion written by Justice Marcus Clark said the amendment does not prohibit sensible firearms regulation and that "common sense, science and social science" all hold that possession of a handgun by a juvenile is dangerous to the public.

The 2012 amendment says that any gun restriction in state law must be subject to "strict scrutiny" by the court -- meaning the state carries a heavy burden to prove the restriction is necessary to meet a government interest, such as public safety.

Another challenge to gun restrictions based on the 2012 constitutional amendment failed at the Supreme Court. The court in December upheld a law banning certain felons from carrying firearms.



Read more: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/louisiana_supreme_court_uphold.html#incart_river_default

[earthside]

1. So, Louisiana is now officially communist.

Tell me where in the 2nd Amendment it says anything about having to be a certain age to "keep and bear arms"?

[mac56]

5. ...

[hack89]

2. 21 should be the minimum age for a concealed carry permit. nt

[Kelvin Mace]

10. My view is that the "age of consent/responsibility"

should be the youngest age a child can be tried as an adult. If you can go to adult prison at 12, then you should be able to smoke, drink, marry, vote, join the army, own a concealed handgun, etc, at 12.

Children should either be children or adults. This making them children when we wish to control them, but adults when we want to punish them is ludicrous.

Just my opinion on the tangential issue.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Unless you are in the military or a police officer, in certain but not all states, it is 21 minimum.

Not aware of any states with a lower limit, but not all have exemptions for those two classes of individuals. (Federal law provides an exemption for police officers regardless.)

Some states don't have permit reciprocity with states like Texas because they have the exemption for members of the military under 21.

[melm00se]

3. Doesn't federal law

prohibit hand gun purchases to people under the age of 21?

[sked14]

4. Purchase from an FFL, yes, not from a private seller nor possession.

[Lurks Often]

6. Presuming that state law doesn't also ban those under 21

from buying a handgun.

[sked14]

7. Right.

Bad on me for not adding that.
Thanks for clarifying it.

[ManiacJoe]

13. Purchase, yes; own, no.

> Doesn't federal law prohibit hand gun purchases to people under the age of 21?

Purchase is prohibited, ownership is not. Handguns can be gifted to those under 21.

[Paladin]

8. Lord have mercy. Will the Republik survive?

Sarcasm alert, for those of you in permanent need of one.....

[Swede Atlanta]

9. Good grief!!!!!

Of course you shouldn't put a concealed weapon in the hands of someone who arguably may lack the maturity to safely carry and protect it.

Even though this relates to the LA Constitution, the SCOTUS has repeatedly held that 'reasonable' regulation of the rights granted under the Bill of Rights is constitutional.

This is a common sense law that anyone other than a gun nut would understand and support.

I swear we have some of the dumbest people on the planet living in this country.

[hack89]

12. That is why the state agrees with the ruling

what happened is that LA wrote a poorly worded law that one person thought invalidated all state laws on concealed carry. The court disagreed.