First attempt at gun control shot down in Louisiana

BATON ROUGE — One of the first bills to test the Louisiana Legislature's appetite for increasing restrictions on gun ownership was shot down in the Senate here Tuesday.

Senators voted overwhelming against Senate Bill 274 by Sen. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, that would require someone to be 21 to buy an assault rifle. The vote was 26-9 to kill the bill.

Carter, who described himself as a gun enthusiast, called assault rifles "weapons of mass destruction."

The bill had won narrow approval in a committee last week.

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"My bill doesn't take away anyone's constitutional right to bear arms," Carter said then. "I'm a gun enthusiast myself. All we're asking for is responsible gun ownership."

Federal law requires a minimum age of 21 to buy a handgun.

Carter said his bill would align assault weapons the federal handgun law.

Mary Wanda, who said she was a parent and teacher, told the committee last week that recent mass shootings have made her afraid to go to the mall or to the movies.

"The time has come to step up and give us a safer community," Wanda said in her testimony. "This is reasonable."

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But others disagreed, saying the bill would infringe on Second Amendment rights. Among them were those representing the National Rifle Association and the Louisiana Shooting Association.

"This would affect the rights of 180,000 law-abiding citizens," Dan Zelenka, president of the Louisiana Shooting Association, testified before the committee.

"They have the right to vote, marry, contract and join the military and each of them are entitled to exercise their right to bear arms in the way they see fit," Zelenka said.

Carter and other members of the committee supporting the bill emphasized their support for the Second Amendment.

"I would dare someone to come take my gun," said Sen. Yvonne Colomb, D-Baton Rouge, who owns a handgun for protection but voted in favor of Carter's bill.

And from Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, who voted for Carter's bill: "I join you in supporting the Second Amendment." But she also said, "I don't see any need for (assault) weapons at all."

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Sen. Bodi White, R-Baton Rouge, opposed the bill in committee and questioned whether it would lead to more gun control.

"If this is the first step then what is step two?" White said.

Carter said the bill wouldn't prevent those under 21 from shooting assault weapons, only buying them.

"I want to be clear that I support the Second Amendment with the kind of governance that protect lives and families," he said.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1