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BATON ROUGE — A Senate committee struck provisions Wednesday that would have allowed for permit-less concealed carry, dramatically altering a bill to instead allow for teachers to carry concealed guns on school property in certain circumstances.
House Bill 37, sponsored by Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, was intended to remove current requirements that an individual must have a concealed carry permit to carry a handgun in a concealed manner in Louisiana.
An amendment proposed by Sen. Eddie Lambert, R-Gonzales, removed provisions of the bill that would have allowed for permit-less carry and inserted language that would allow for teachers to become certified to carry weapons on school grounds.
The amendment passed 8-2 Wednesday evening, with Republican Sens. Jay Morris of Monroe and Mike Reese of Leesville in opposition.
Lambert pointed to the more than 40-minute period that police in Uvalde, Texas, were delayed in entering Robb Elementary School last week during a mass shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.
Lambert argued that having an armed teacher inside could have mitigated the carnage, though critics around the country have asked how a teacher could stand up to a shooter with an AR-15 if police were afraid to challenge him.
Moments before the bill was discussed Wednesday, news broke of a mass shooting at a healthcare facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The amendment would allow each school to designate one or more “school protection officers,” who could be a teacher, an administrator or a retired teacher or administrator. The individual would have to have a concealed carry permit and undergo specialized training.
The identities of any teachers or administrators who become school protection officers would not be subject to public records requests, although law enforcement officers would have access to the information.
Tom Costanza, executive director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke against the bill.
“This bill does not promote a culture of life,” Costanza said.
McCormick would not commit to moving forward with the bill, saying in an interview that he had to review the amendments.
Last month, McCormick pulled a controversial bill criminalizing abortion after it was dramatically amended on the House floor.
McCormick did say that he would be in favor of arming teachers “in certain circumstances.”
The original bill, referred to by supporters as a “constitutional carry bill,” cleared the Senate Judiciary C Committee on the same day of the mass shooting at the Uvalde elementary school.
Louisiana, consistently a leader in murders and gun violence, is currently the top state for mass shootings per capita, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
A bill similar to McCormick’s original instrument was brought in 2021 but was vetoed by Gov. John Bel Edwards. The Legislature attempted an override but fell short of the necessary votes.
Edwards opposed the bill primarily due to the fact that it would eliminate training requirements for concealed carry.
The bill will now go to the Senate for a floor vote. If it passes the Senate, it would have to go back to the House for concurrence on amendments before the session ends on Monday.

Charles Anthony Williams, 56, a resident of Spokane, Virginia, and native of Patterson, Louisiana, passed away Jan. 28, 2022, at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.
The St. Mary Veteran Funeral Squad will perform at 2:30 p.m. Friday, June 3, 2022, at Jones Funeral Home, 715 Sixth St., Morgan City, Burial will follow at the Louisiana National Cemetery in Zachary.
He is survived by his mother, Gloria Williams Smith, and a host of relatives and friends.
Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

The Berwick Police Department announced that it will conduct another Seat Belt Checkpoint in conjunction with the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation/ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Click-it or Ticket campaign

The checkpoint will be 4-8 p.m. Thursday in the town limits of Berwick.

Berwick police would like to remind drivers that not all crashes are survivable, but statistics show that wearing your seat belt is the single most effective thing you can do to increase your chances of surviving a crash and / or limiting the severity of injuries during the event of a crash.

BATON ROUGE – The House committee investigating the response to the death of Ronald Greene on Wednesday requested that Gov. John Bel Edwards and two members of his legal counsel testify before the committee.

“The Special Committee to inquire into the Circumstances and Investigation of the Death of Ronald Greene was created to search for the truth,” House Speaker Clay Schexnayder said in a statement. “That search for truth has continually led us to serious questions that can only be answered by Governor John Bel Edwards and his executive staff.”

“This committee will do its job and see this through no matter where the evidence leads,” Schexnayder said in the statement.

Matthew Block, executive counsel to the governor, responded in a statement several hours later.

“We are confident that this testimony will demonstrate that neither the Governor nor anyone on his staff had any role in any attempt to cover up the facts related to Mr. Greene’s death,” Block wrote.

The statement confirmed that Edwards and his attorneys will appear before the committee.

The House special committee is charged with investigating the slow response to the death of Greene, a Black motorist, who died after a violent encounter with State Police officers in 2019.

The committee was started in March after an Associated Press report revealed that Edwards knew of Greene’s beating months before he publicly admitted.

One video, taken from Trooper John Clary’s body camera, is believed to be the most explicit in showing the violent treatment. This footage was not initially turned over to prosecutors, leading to allegations of a coverup.

Christina Stephens, a spokesperson for the governor, has repeatedly stated that Edwards and his staff had no way of knowing that the video was not included in the criminal file.

House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, alleged that Edwards told him months ago that there was no need for a legislative inquiry, as Greene died in a wreck. Edwards denied saying this.