NCJ Number
141084
Date Published
Unknown
Length
17 pages
Annotation
An examination of a new Louisiana State law, which seems to mandate that local sheriffs must give any law-abiding citizen a permit to carry concealed weapons, focuses on issues related to passage of the law, its relationship to rates of violence, and the degree of support it received from the law enforcement community.
Abstract
The law now bans several classes of people from receiving gun permits including convicted felons, insane persons, people who renounce their citizenship, illegal aliens, drug traffickers, and those dishonorably discharged from the military. The statute also prohibits citizens from carrying guns in certain locations including, inter alia, Federal buildings, schools, and airports. The author explores opposition to the concealed weapons permit within the criminal justice community, observed characteristics of concealed weapons carriers, and media coverage of the issue, concluding that the media focus on the issue profoundly stirred public hysteria and that the law probably encouraged those who were only considering buying weapons to enter into full gun ownership. However, in Caddo Parish, which contains the city of Shreveport, the fourth most violent city in the U.S., there have been no cases of misuse of guns by these permit holders. This author found universal reluctance to talk about the issue by all actors including law enforcement officers, politicians, opponents, and media sources. One theme that did emerge persistently was an underlying racial-political subtext. 5 references