A lawmaker concerned about shootings at parades and a fireworks display has proposed tougher penalties for people convicted of “recklessly discharging” firearms at Mardi Gras parades, Independence Day celebrations or other cultural gatherings.
Rep. Juan LaFonta filed the legislation in response to gunfights that wounded innocent bystanders at gatherings in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and other Louisiana cities in recent years.
“It’s getting to the point where families can’t go out in public anymore, because they’re afraid that they may get hit by a stray bullet,” the New Orleans Democrat said.
The bill originally would have banned possession of a firearm at such gatherings, but LaFonta amended it to eliminate opposition from the National Rifle Association and some lawmakers. The amended legislation had no opposition in the House, where it passed 95-0. It awaits a Senate committee hearing.
Penalties would be in effect near gatherings that require a government permit. Convicts would face between five and 10 years in prison; they would be required to spend three years locked up gaining parole eligibility.
A July 4, 2007, Baton Rouge gunfight on the Mississippi River levee where crowds gathered to watch fireworks left two bystanders paralyzed: 16-year-old Kayla Smith and 21-year-old Robert Blunschim.
Blunschim’s mother, Glenda, testified in support of the bill, telling the House Criminal Justice Committee that her son, once a weightlifter, also suffered brain damage and has not regained the ability to speak. She said he was shot in the head while talking with friends after the fireworks.
“July 4 is a celebration of our freedoms … and Robert, for all intents and purposes, has lost all his freedom,” she said.
A Baton Rouge man was convicted last month of aggravated battery in the fireworks shootings, after a judge threw out more serious attempted second-degree murder charges. Devin Deon Collins, 20, faces up to 20 years in prison at a sentencing hearing in July.
Collins’ co-defendant, whom prosecutors believe fired the shots that struck the victims, has not yet been tried.
Seven people, all bystanders, were shot on Fat Tuesday along New Orleans’ main parade route this year. Three men face attempted murder counts in that case.—-Contact The Daily Reveille news staff at [email protected]