New Orleans City Council Committee Passes Gun Regulations Ordinance
New Orleans is quickly implementing California-style gun laws in response to a shooting…
Via NOLA:
The City Council’s criminal justice committee on Wednesday (Aug. 31) approved an ordinance aimed at stemming the flow of stolen guns in New Orleans by requiring people to report their firearms stolen or face a $250 fine.
The ordinance also creates “firearm free zones,” which include school facilities — campuses, buildings and buses — and city-owned recreational properties. The ban on carrying firearms on New Orleans Recreation Development Commission property is a reaction to the mass shooting at Bunny Friend Park in 2015, which injured 17 people.
Councilman Jason Williams said the ordinance will help police get a clearer picture of the guns that are being trafficked through the city illegally. Many of those guns are used in shootings throughout the city.
“It’s one more step that will make for better investigations, cleaner investigations, moving forward,” Williams said.
The committee’s chairwoman, Councilwoman Susan Guidry, said she’s disturbed by the number of guns that are stolen in New Orleans. She asked police to begin regularly publishing the number of guns that are stolen in the city, saying that many of the stolen guns are removed from unlocked vehicles.
“It’s just ridiculous,” Guidry said, “that people think they should be able to be trusted with carrying a firearm and then they don’t have the sense to lock their vehicle.”
Read more here.
