Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WRKF/WWNO Newsroom.

New Gun Rights Group Gets Off the Ground

Defend Louisiana

A new statewide gun rights advocacy group gathered about 3,000 signatures in support of its legislation to protect the Second Amendment this weekend.State Representative Jeff Thompson, founder of Defend Louisiana, outlined the group’s initiatives at the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday afternoon.

Defend Louisiana has filed two bills for the upcoming session. One would protect the identities of concealed and carry permit holders. Another would nullify future federal laws that infringe on gun rights.
 

“As a child I never was receptive to the words ‘because I said so.’ ‘How come I have to? – Because I said so.’ Just because an administration sends something down to enforce throughout, just with the signing of a pen through an executive order, doesn’t mean it’s constitutional,” said Thompson.

Thompson says gun violence doesn’t come from those that get their guns legally, but from criminals – and criminals will continue to break the law. “We’ve got laws that say it’s illegal to grow drugs. It’s illegal to manufacture them. It’s illegal to transport them. It’s illegal to sell ‘em. It’s illegal to buy ‘em, and it’s illegal to use ‘em," Thompson said. "How’s that working for us?”

Thompson says the group wants to ramp up gun safety education. “We don’t need to have dangerous and stupid ever intersect,” Thompson said.

The group is concerned not just for people that want to own a gun, but also for children that might be exposed to guns in the home. He said we can educate kids in school using resources the state already has. “We have DARE officers in classrooms, school resource officers, sheriff’s department personnel," Thompson said. "We have firearm experts across our state have the ability to come together and design a program to teach our children.”

Defend Louisiana will be traveling the state to rally support before the session starts in April.

Kelly grew up in Baton Rouge. She started out in radio at Baton Rouge High where she was first on air at WBRH and KBRH. While studying film and politics at Hendrix College, she reported and hosted for KUAR in Little Rock, AR. She then moved on to KUT in Austin, TX. She misses the dry air, live music at Studio 1A and breakfast tacos, but is happy for crawfish and non-ironic use of Mardi Gras beads.