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Louisiana became the 28th state in the nation to enshrine into law the right of its residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
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“Today, we join 27 other states in passing Constitutional Carry. I promised the folks of Louisiana that I would champion Constitutional Carry into law, and within two months, I have honored that commitment,” Republican Gov. Jeff Landry told Fox News Digital.
“It’s fundamentally clear — law-abiding citizens should never have to seek government permission to safeguard themselves and their families. Today, we have secured an incredible victory for liberty in Louisiana. I want to thank Louisiana’s NRA members for their great work.”
Landry signed the NRA-backed Senate Bill 1 into law Tuesday, which allows eligible residents 18 and older to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.
SB 1’s primary author, Republican state Sen. Blake Miguez exclusively told Fox News Digital that the governor’s signature “marks a key milestone in our enduring quest for liberty.”
CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY: 2023 SAW NEW MILESTONE FOR GUN RIGHTS
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Gov. Jeff Landry signing constitutional carry into law.(NRA)
“Today, Louisiana asserts its unwavering commitment to the Second Amendment by enacting Constitutional Carry, a move that embodies the absolute right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms. Governor Landry’s pivotal role, combined with the steadfast support from legislators across both chambers, has been crucial in reaffirming our dedication to the rights of law-abiding citizens. Our success owes much to the tireless efforts of NRA members and Second Amendment defenders throughout the state, whose advocacy has been indispensable,” Miguez said.
Supporters of the legislation in the state say constitutional carry will drive down crime, as armed law-abiding Americans are better equipped to fend off criminals and defend themselves, with some GOP lawmakers in the state recently arguing “evil is everywhere” and “police alone can not protect us.”
LOUISIANA GOV. LANDRY DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER POLICE SHORTAGE
Violent crime skyrocketed in Louisiana’s top tourist city of New Orleans, for example, in 2022, when the city recorded a homicide rate of 70 per 100,000 people. Violent crimes have since dropped in the city.
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Landry, who was sworn in as governor just this year, has urged the passage of tough-on-crime policies to further drive down crime in the state, and he vowed on the campaign trail last year to pass constitutional carry if elected governor.
The law comes just 57 days after Landry was sworn into office following Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ two terms in office. NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch touted that Landry made a campaign pledge to pass the legislation and “remarkably delivered on this promise within a mere 57 days in office.”
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry in Baton Rouge while signing constitutional carry into law.(NRA)
DESANTIS’ SIGNATURE TIPS US INTO MAJORITY ‘CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY’ NATION WITH NEW FLORIDA GUN RIGHTS LAW
“This victory is a shining example of what can be achieved when freedom-loving legislators in both the House and the Senate work in unison. Our deepest gratitude goes to Sen. Blake Miguez and House Speaker Pro Tempore Mike Johnson for their pivotal roles in spearheading this life-saving legislation and expeditiously moving it to the Governor’s desk,” Kozuch said.
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“The NRA celebrates Louisiana’s momentous step in becoming the 28th state to enact the pivotal NRA Constitutional Carry legislation. This swift and decisive action, a testament to the NRA’s unwavering advocacy, empowers Louisianians to exercise their Second Amendment rights free from government permission, solidifying our right to self-defense,” Kozuch added in comment to Fox.
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Both Kozuch and NRA Interim Executive Vice President and CEO Andrew Arulanandam joined Landry in Baton Rouge for the signing on Tuesday.
Opponents of the bill argued that the law could make the state less safe and drive up the rates of those killed by guns. Louisiana’s Fraternal Order of the Police spoke out against the bill, while the Louisiana Sheriffs Association did not take a position, local media reported.
Louisiana’s House Speaker Pro Tempore Mike T. Johnson, however, argued earlier this year that residents of the state are “fearful” of even running errands due to criminals on the streets, and that the law will offer “law-abiding citizens their God-given right” to defend themselves.
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A general view of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Johnson added in a comment to Fox News Digital that Landry’s signature on the bill marks “a landmark victory.”
“The Second Amendment’s 27 words underscore that law-abiding citizens should never require government permission to exercise their right to bear arms—a principle that Louisiana has proudly reaffirmed today. I extend my deepest thanks to Governor Landry for signing this critical bill, as well as to my colleagues in both the Louisiana House and Senate. Most importantly, I express my heartfelt gratitude to NRA members and gun owners across Louisiana for their unwavering dedication to freedom,” he said.
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Residents who wish to obtain a permit may still do so in the state. The bill also restricts residents from carrying in certain areas, such as schools and the state Capitol. The Pelican State is already an open carry state, meaning eligible residents can openly carry without a permit.
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Louisiana now joins a list of 27 other states across the nation that have constitutional carry laws on the books. The U.S. officially became a constitutional carry majority nation last spring, when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his state’s version of permitless carry.
Arulanandam told Fox News Digital that Louisiana’s passage of the law is testament to “the unwavering dedication of NRA members and the resolve of leaders like Gov. Landry and pro-self-defense legislators.”
Interim NRA CEO and Executive Vice President Andrew Arulanandam(NRA )
“These men and women champion our Second Amendment rights and help ensure that law-abiding Americans have the means to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities,” Arulanandam said. “This rapid 57-day turnaround is a powerful message that NRA members are not just participating in the fight for gun rights; they are leading it. Rest assured, we are on a mission to bring NRA Constitutional Carry to every state in the nation, one victory at a time.”
The law will officially take effect on the 4th of July this year.
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The full list of states with constitutional carry laws now includes Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.
A Pentecostal pastor in Louisiana charged with sexually molesting a teenage girl in his church has been convicted of indecent behavior with a juvenile – but was acquitted of the more serious crime of statutory rape.
Milton Otto Martin III, 58, faces up to seven years in prison and must register as a sex offender after a three-day trial in Chalmette, Louisiana, resulted in a guilty verdict against him on Thursday. His sentencing hearing is tentatively set for 15 January in the latest high-profile instance of religious abuse in the New Orleans area.
Authorities who investigated Martin, the pastor of Chalmette’s First Pentecostal Church, spoke with several alleged molestation victims of his. But the jury in his case heard from just two of them, and the charges on which he was tried pertained to only one.
That victim’s attorneys – John Denenea, Richard Trahant and Soren Gisleson – lauded their client for testifying against Martin even as members of the institution’s congregation showed up in large numbers to support him throughout the trial.
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“That was the most courageous thing I’ve ever seen a young woman do,” the lawyers remarked in a statement, with Denenea saying it was the first time in his career he and a client of his needed deputies to escort them out the courthouse. “She not only made sure he was accountable for his crimes – she has also protected many other young women from this convicted predator.”
Neither Martin’s attorney, Jeff Hufft, nor his church immediately responded to requests for comment.
The documents containing Martin’s criminal charges alleged that he committed felony carnal knowledge, Louisiana’s formal name for statutory rape, by engaging in oral sex with Denenea’s client when she was 16 in about 2011. The indecent behavior was inflicted on her when she was between the ages of 15 and 17, the charging documents maintained.
A civil lawsuit filed against Martin in parallel detailed how he would allegedly bring the victim – one of his congregants – out on four-wheeler rides and sexually abuse her during breaks that they took during the excursions.
The accuser, now about 30, reported Martin to Louisiana state police before he was arrested in March 2023. Other accusers subsequently came forward with similar allegations dating back further. Martin made bail, pleaded not guilty and underwent trial beginning on Tuesday in front of state court judge Darren Roy.
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Denenea said he believed his client’s testimony on Wednesday was pivotal in Martin’s conviction, which was obtained by prosecutors Barry Milligan and Erica Moore of the Louisiana attorney general’s office, according to the agency.
As Denenea put it, it seemed to him Martin’s acquittal stemmed from uncertainty over whether the accuser initially reported being 16 at the time of the alleged carnal knowledge.
State attorney general Liz Murrill said in a statement that it was “great work” my Milligan and Moore “getting justice for this victim”.
“We will never stop fighting to protect the children of Louisiana,” Murrill said.
Martin was remanded without bail to the custody of the local sheriff’s office to await sentencing after the verdict.
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The lawsuit that Denenea’s client filed against Martin was stayed while the criminal case was unresolved. It can now proceed, with the plaintiff accusing the First Pentecostal church of doing nothing to investigate earlier sexual abuse claims against Martin.
The plaintiff also accused the Worldwide Pentecostal Fellowships to which the Chalmette church belonged of failing to properly supervise Martin around children, and her lawsuit demands damages from both institutions.
Martin’s prosecution is unrelated to the clergy molestation scandal that drove the Roman Catholic archdiocese of nearby New Orleans into federal bankruptcy court in 2020 – but the two cases do share a few links.
State police detective Scott Rodrigue investigated Martin after also pursuing the retired New Orleans Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker, a serial child molester who had been shielded by his church superiors for decades. Rodrigue’s investigation led to Hecker’s arrest, conviction and life sentence for child rape – shortly before his death in December 2024.
Furthermore, Denenea, Trahant and Gisleson were also the civil attorneys for the victim in Hecker’s criminal case.
Newlab New Orleans is deepening its energy-tech ambitions with a new partnership alongside JERA, Japan’s largest power generator, to accelerate next-generation carbon capture solutions for heavy industries across Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, The Center Square writes.
The collaboration brings JERA Ventures into Newlab’s public-private innovation hub, where startups gain access to lab space and high-end machinery to commercialize technologies aimed at cutting emissions and improving industrial efficiency.
The move builds momentum as Newlab prepares to open its fifth global hub next fall at the former Naval Support Activity site, adding New Orleans to a network that includes Riyadh and Detroit. JERA’s footprint in Louisiana is already growing—from a joint venture on CF Industries’ planned $4 billion low-carbon ammonia plant to investments in solar generation and Haynesville shale assets—positioning the company as a significant player in the state’s clean-energy transition.
Federal immigration authorities are keeping a tight lid on key details as “Catahoula Crunch” closes its first week in southeast Louisiana, Verite writes.
The operation—one of Department of Homeland Security’s largest recent urban crackdowns—began with raids at home-improvement stores and aims for 5,000 arrests, according to plans previously reviewed by the Associated Press. While DHS publicly highlighted arrests of immigrants with violent criminal records, AP data shows fewer than one-third of the 38 detainees in the first two days had prior convictions.
Meanwhile, advocacy groups report widespread fear in Hispanic communities, with residents avoiding hospitals, schools, workplaces and even grocery stores amid sightings of federal agents.
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Business impacts are already visible: restaurants and Hispanic-serving corridors like Broad Street appear unusually quiet, with staff shortages forcing menu cuts and temporary closures. School absenteeism has doubled in Jefferson Parish, and protests have spread across New Orleans and surrounding suburbs as local leaders demand transparency around federal tactics.
