Currently, Louisiana requires a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The permit consists of several hours of classroom instruction and hands-on gun training.

The phrase “concealed carry” means carrying a gun that is hidden from the public. Many people attach a holster to their hip that holds the gun. The holster goes under your shirt, so the gun cannot be seen.

Oil City Rep. Danny McCormick filed a bill that, if passed, would allow people to conceal carry without a permit. 

People would not be required to complete the classroom courses as they are now.

McCormick said that “We live in a republic and in a republic, the rights and responsibility belong to the individual and not to the government.”

According to U.S. News, 15 states already allow concealed carry without a permit. 

Courtney Dowden, a junior speech pathology major, believes a permit should be necessary to conceal carry. She believes hiding a gun can lead to crime. 

According to a 2017 study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, right to carry laws are associated with 13% to 15% higher rates of violent crimes in the the 10 years following the adoption of the laws.

Clay Eppinette, a junior nursing major, believes people should have to have a license to carry a gun on their body. 

“Without this license, there would be no need for background checks,” Eppinette said.

Missouri repealed their permit-to-carry laws in 2007, and according to a study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, it resulted in a 23% increase in firearm homicides.

  Luke McManus, a senior computer information systems major, said that when it comes to concealed carry without a permit, the bad outweighs the good. 

“Allowing people to carry a firearm without a permit could end up creating more problems than it does solutions,” McManus said.