Transcript
It looks like the Lafayette Police Department will enforce the gun-free school zone around the UL Lafayette Science Museum Downtown after all — clarifying over a week of confusion around how Louisiana’s firearm free zones work.
Hey, it’s Elliot Wade, your Community Reporter here at The Current.
On July 4th, a new law allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a permit went into effect — with some caveats.
The law seems expansive, but even some gun advocates say you should still get a permit if you plan to carry with any regularity.
Why? Mainly, school zones.
Despite the new law, carrying without a permit in a school zone is a felony punishable by up to five years of hard labor.
Lafayette has a lot of school zones, and they come with a 1,000-foot buffer. The concentration of them Downtown effectively puts the district off limits. The same goes for areas around UL.
Some municipalities have added new school zones to carve out gun-free districts. The New Orleans Police Department designated its 8th District station as a vocational school, creating a restricted 1,000-foot school zone in the heart of the French Quarter.
This week LPD announced that the UL Science Museum had been designated a firearm-free zone, and that’s where the confusion began. The science museum’s central location would effectively render Downtown off limits for permitless carry.
State officials, led by Attorney General Liz Murrill and Sen. Blake Miguez publicly pressured Lafayette not to enforce the zone, arguing the Science Museum is not covered as a school zone.
LCG’s latest clarification splits duties: ULPD will police the museum itself and the immediate area around it while LPD is responsible for the 1,000-foot radius around the building, enforcing that area just like LPD does any other school.
What are your thoughts on this story? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, I’m Elliot Wade and this is Lafayette.