House committee approves college firearms bill - Students could carry handguns to class (LA)

nola.com ^ | May 02, 2008 | Ed Anderson

[neverdem]

BATON ROUGE -- All college students 21 or older who have qualified for concealed handgun permits would be able to carry firearms to class and other parts of campus under a bill approved 11-3 by a House committee Thursday.

The Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice sent to the House floor House Bill 199 by Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, its chairman. Wooton said he expects lengthy debate on the bill's merits when it hits the floor.

The bill drew support from college students who say they feel unsafe and inadequately protected when leaving campus late at night. Student leaders from several campuses teamed with Joseph Savoie, commissioner of higher education for the State Board of Regents, the agency that coordinates higher education funding, policy and curriculum, in asking the panel to reject the measure.

The panel killed, by a 3-9 vote, an attempt to keep the ban in place on private university campuses. It also rejected 2-10 a hostile amendment by Rep. Roy Burrell, D-Shreveport, to allow a person with a concealed weapons permit to carry guns any place the law now bans them, such as elementary and high schools, houses of worship, courthouses, parades, polling places, airports, the State Capitol and government buildings.

Wooton said his bill is an attempt to make colleges safe by allowing students to protect themselves against a gunman who breaks into a classroom and starts shooting randomly.

"We are not going to have 20,000 students lining up tomorrow morning to get a concealed weapons permit," he said. To get a permit, Wooton said, an individual has to undergo a background check and training.

Here is how the committee voted on the bill:

FOR -- Wooton; and Reps. Damon Baldone, D-Houma; Elbert Guillory, D-Opelousas; Mickey Guillory, D-Eunice; Chris Hazel, R-Ball...

[neverdem]

IIRC, Rep. Don Cazayoux (D) is going for Congress in a special election very soon, maybe next Tuesday.

[bankcritic]

Carrying the guns isn’t the problem, its if people start killing other people thats the problem. Should be allowed to carry a firearm with you, but if you start killing people with it, obviously you’re commiting a crime and should go to jail. Seems pretty simple to me.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Let me be the first to give this bill a nickname:

The No Psychotic College Shooter Left Alive Act

[Old Mountain man]

What a great name!

[neverdem]

LOL!

[Eric Blair 2084]

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
Gospel of Jules 2:16