It’s not unusual for states to pass pro-gun laws and big-city bureaucrats disagree with those laws. What is uncommon, however, is for police leaders to get into a public spat with the state attorney general over such laws.
That’s what happened recently in Louisiana when New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick decided that the carry laws passed by the state just weren’t right for her city.
Kirkpatrick has a beef with the state law that allows open carry of firearms without gun owners being forced to jump through government hoops and pay a fee just to practice their rights. And when 13 people were shot at a recent small parade, she couldn’t contain her disdain any longer.
Kirkpatrick told wdsu.com that there were thousands of people in attendance for a small parade, and officers observed many people with guns. And what doesn’t sit well with Kirkpatrick is that state law doesn’t allow officers to approach people carrying guns and ask if they have permits!
Oh, the horror! As we all know, that’s one reason such laws were passed. Why be harassed by policemen simply because you choose to practice a constitutionally protected right?
“I understand constitutional carry and why it would be okay in some parts of Louisiana, but you can’t say that is true for New Orleans,” Kirkpatrick told the news channel. “I’m a person who appreciates constitutional carry but not in every location. New Orleans is unique. We have no business with guns at a parade or in our entertainment areas at all.”
Obviously, she doesn’t really understand and appreciate constitutional carry if she thinks everyone should have that right until they enter New Orleans. Then, apparently, she’d prefer her own version of stop-and-frisk.
While Kirkpatrick’s statement probably seemed logical to some, it also caught the attention of others who don’t think along those lines. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill was one of the people who not only disagreed but couldn’t let the statement stand.
Murril fired back, pointing out that Kirkpatrick was doing what many anti-gun bureaucrats and politicians do best—blaming the gun and not the violent criminal who uses the gun for nefarious means.
“Since when do violent criminals who shoot multiple people follow our laws?” Murril said in a released statement. “I wouldn’t classify them as ‘responsible gun owners.’ Let’s talk about the NOPD consent decree—$150 million has been spent so far and kids are shooting each other because police aren’t allowed to enforce the law and gun-carrying criminals aren’t facing consequences. Now is the time to focus on capturing the criminals responsible for this lawlessness, not place blame on a state law that received overwhelming support by the people’s representatives in the Legislature.”
While it’s unclear who got the last word in the spat, it’s unlikely that New Orleans officials can soon begin stopping people with guns and asking for permits. Not only is the state legislature unlikely to change the law, but Louisiana’s firearms preemption law, passed in 2012, states that local ordinances regulating the carrying of firearms in public may not be more restrictive than state law.
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick and others in enforcement in New Orleans constantly push the narrative that New Orleans is “special”. Born and raised in Louisiana living 45 minutes from New Orleans, I can testify that there is not a thing “special” about New Orleans. The powers that be have not accepted the fact that thugs do not follow laws. They really think the police should be allowed to stop anyone any time and search them. I have followed the legislation since 2020 and have heard the testimony in committees from New Orleans enforcement folk stating they support stopping anyone and demanding to see a permit. I also have heard enough to state that even if a permit was required that the permit soon would not be enough and they would then demand a complete ban of anyone carrying not just in the Quarter but in the city limits of New Orleans. Should that happen other cities would also want to declare them to be gun free. Enough is never enough for these people and the good citizens of Louisiana should be grateful that preemption laws are on the books and being enforced by A G Liz Murrill. The good citizens of Louisiana are very fortunate to have Governor Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill at this time.
Yeah, right, Nawlins is special, NY is special, Chicago is special. What’s not special is they’re all run by one party and one type of people. Nothing new.
Maybe it’s a good thing the AG and the Super weren’t both packing when discussing this. But I would guess civil discourse would have prevailed anyway.
IIRC, the biggest mass casualty event in modern NOLA’s history was perpetrated with a quart of lighter fluid. That seems a bit ironic, considering how “special” it is – again IIRC, the year was 1974.
What aggravates me is that the proponents of gunfree zones NEVER acknowledge that if I can’t have a weapon at my destination, then I can’t have one when I leave the house. And if I can’t have one when I leave, then I will be unarmed when I return to home or vehicle. And that is exactly when many of us are most vulnerable to those special people who think a “keepout” sign is harassment as long as it ain’t theirs, and privacy/property laws are an impediment to their business activities…
Of course, to a leftwing pol, that is a feature, not a bug.
“New Orleans is unique.”
The same could be said for every city in the country, including in Louisiana, and they all just vary in their locations and differences. But you know what they all have in common? They all have potential victims that criminals prey upon – potential victims needing to protect their selves when the criminal decides. The reality is that governments and police and laws do not actually control or stop crime – its always the criminal that gets to decide when and where and who and what and why so its really the criminals in control of the crime and they get to decide decides if it happens or not. If it were true that governments and police and laws controlled or stopped crime, there would be no crime. Its not different in New Orleans just as its no different in any city in the country.
So you see, New Orleans is not that unique after all. Its not unique, you want to be ‘uniquely special’ so you can rule your own little ‘kingdom’.
The NOPD are a law onto themselves. Get pulled over and have an out of state license? Even if Louisiana accepts that license as bond under reciprocity rules, you still get a nice ride to Central Lockup where only cash bail is accepted. Get drunk in the French Quarter? Another ride, but with a beating for good measure. Have guns after a hurricane? You can be assured that a “nice” officer will come to your house to collect them. NOPD have long held the title of most corrupt big city department in the country. So this “spat” the City cannot win comes as no surprise.
It looks like Nawleans approach is to cuff’em all and let the courts sort’em out.
Only a pompous new orleans Gun Control democRat sack of sht would think to argue with a former LA AG and now LA Governor and with the new LA AG about a state law that has reduced crime by giving criminals something to be very worried about and that is an armed citizenry. I stood behind a couple at a gas station check out and the man had a holstered cowboy gun, I had a concealed NEF .32 H&R, no pilgrims were harmed.
So….no statement from the AG to sue NO for violating state premption?
Yakking solves nothing; make violators pay (personally). NO authorities have an exemption for exceeding the limits of their agency as govt officials.
I got one thing to say to Anne, and anyone else who deserves it:
GET YOUR GOVERNMENT BOOT OFF MY 2A!!!