LA GUN BILL – This week Louisiana House of Representatives voted 59-39 to pass a bill that would prohibit former juvenile offenders from possessing firearms until they are 24 years old.
Senate Bill 379, sponsored by Sen. Barrow Peacock, R-Bossier City, would prohibit former juvenile offenders who have been adjudicated for a crime of violence from possessing firearms until then. The bill was carried on the floor by Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, Some house members opposed the bill, arguing that it is unconstitutional, as juveniles are not convicted by a jury, but rather adjudicated solely by a judge. The counter-argument was that the distinction is not important in determining legality, pointing to a similar law that Florida has enacted.
The House amended the bill, to remove a provision that would have allowed the former offenders to possess guns to hunt and then passed the bill, sending it back to the Senate for concurrence on amendments.
