La. ranks high in gun violence, low in gun safety

Louisiana has the highest rate of gun violence in the nation and the weakest gun safety laws, according to a recent national study, and state lawmakers are moving to expand the already permissive statutes. According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a nonprofit group that tracks gun regulations around the nation, Louisiana’s push is contrary to a national trend toward strengthening firearm laws after the recent Newtown, Conn., mass school shooting. “It puts Louisiana in the same category as a minority of states that spend time on largely symbolic measures,” says Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney for the Law Center. “These laws clearly are not going to be upheld. It’s something the courts will have to decide, not the states.” The most far-reaching gun proposals in the Louisiana Legislature seek to preempt federal law, as a states’ rights issue. They have been easily approved in the House and await action in the Senate. Meanwhile, according to a study by the left-leaning Center for American Progress, Louisiana had more deaths per capita from guns than any other state from 2001 to 2010. The study indicated that Louisiana has the highest gun-homicide rate among residents 19 years old and younger. The center recently gave the state an F, ranking it 45th out of 50 states in terms of gun safety. The Associated Press has the full story here.