State Sen. Neil Riser spoke to a group of young Republicans last week on the second Amendment, which is the constitutional amendment proposed to change the state constitution to protect gun rights. The change would give Louisiana the strongest pro-gun law in the nation, according to the National Rifle Association.

The amendment would make it more difficult for the legislature to pass laws on guns. The term used in the amendment is “strict scrutiny,” which means in order to make a new law the legislature would have to have an explicit reason.

“You just can’t go randomly passing laws infringing upon the second amendment,” Riser said. 

Those against the amendment have sent out emails saying the amendment would take away right to bear arms. Riser said that is false.

“They’ve been playing that game for the past week,” Riser said. “It had 18 and half hours of debate on the floor, and what it does is gives us the strongest second amendment rights, matter-of-fact, in the nation.”

The most outspoken House member against the bill was Rep. Barbara Norton of Shreveport. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Norton said she didn’t see the state “going back to the 1700s, the 1800s, when everybody carried a gun on their side.” 

Attempts by this publication to reach Norton were unsuccessful.

A senator from Arizona contacted Riser to model a bill there after Amendment 2. Riser noted that gun rights are not under attack in Louisiana right now, but he is worried about the future; with states like Arizona copying Louisiana there could be a trend developing.

Maddie Wiggins is a strong proponent of gun rights. He wants this amendment to pass.

“It would open us up more to the second amendment than any other state, and I think that’s wonderful,” said Wiggins, a sophomore in construction management. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Riser wrote Senate Bill 303 last session. The bill passed the legislature and is on the ballot for Nov. 6.