Responsibility for gun violence in Louisiana is a bipartisan issue.
According to a 2013 report by the Center for American Progress, Louisiana has the worst rate of gun violence of any state. The Kaiser Family Foundation used Center for Disease Control and Prevention data to find that Louisiana has the second worst death rate from firearm per capita in the United States, second only to Alaska.
It is no coincidence Louisiana has some of the most lax gun laws in America, with the state
earning an “F” in gun safety laws from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
The gun lobby, with the National Rifle Association at the helm, is willing to let Louisianans die to protect gun rights rather than confront our state’s gun violence crisis.
NRA opposition to common sense gun measures can render a bill dead on arrival. Even common sense gun measures, such as banning a person convicted of domestic violence from owning a firearm, faced the NRA’s ire in Louisiana.
A 2015 bill by Rep. Helena Moreno, D-New Orleans, addressing firearm ownership of those convicted of domestic violence, eked out of committee by a 7-6 vote in the House Administration of Criminal Justice committee.
Once the bill made it to the House floor, Moreno significantly watered down the bill to steer clear of the NRA’s opposition. The NRA considered the bill overly broad because it defined survivors of domestic violence as those who are dating partners–whereas the NRA only supported restricting the bill to legal family members.
This definition would have excluded LGBT people and people who are dating from the definition of domestic violence.
According to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, Kim Sport of the United Way said 50 percent of domestic violence victims are considered “dating partners” who do not live with and are not married to their abusers, especially for those who are 16 to 24 years old.
Men who beat their girlfriends found an ally in the NRA and Louisiana legislature.
Preventing domestic abusers from owning a gun should be a no-brainer. But in Louisiana, every candidate running for a statewide office must tout their “pro-Second Amendment” record.
A September 7 advertisement from then-gubernatorial candidate John Bel Edwards promoted his “pro-Second Amendment” credentials. An August profile of Sen. David Vitter, R-La., in KNOE 8 News Monroe said he supports the Second Amendment and “wants to see that everyone’s rights are fully protected.”
Even modest attempts to prevent gun violence provoke the NRA. When then-Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., defied the NRA and voted for the Manchin-Toomey bill in 2013, allowing background checks for gun owners, the NRA gave her a present during her 2014 re-election bid.
The NRA plastered an ad arguing Landrieu “voted to take away your gun rights” featuring a woman who had a burglar in her home. “Vote like your safety depends on it,” the ad said, implying Landrieu wants you and yours to be abducted by preventing those with a criminal record from the ability to buy a gun.
With our state having the highest rate of gun violence, the health and safety of Louisianians is at stake. Louisiana politicians should grow a spine and stand up to the NRA.
Until then, the funerals of gun violence victims will belong to Louisiana leaders of both parties.
Michael Beyer is a 22-year-old Political Science major from New Orleans, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @michbeyer.