New Orleans is not far removed from its dubious distinction of being the murder capital of the U.S. The city was recently under siege from violent criminals who preyed on helpless victims while leaders looked on helplessly.
And when state leaders abided by the people’s will and enacted constitutional carry earlier this year, critics charged that even more blood would flow in the streets. Never mind that Louisiana became the 28th state to legally remove the permit requirement to carry in July.
There was great gnashing of teeth over dire predictions that lawmakers’ foolish decision to honor the Constitution would lead to chaos and mayhem.
But something funny happened on the way to indiscriminate carnage. Violent crime went down.
New Orleans officials recently celebrated 18 consecutive days without a single murder. While this accomplishment would pass unnoticed in more peaceful areas of the nation, it was significant for the city.
It coincided, coincidentally or not, with the good citizens of the city and state being allowed to exercise their freedoms without crawling to officials for permission.
Proponents of enshrining Second Amendment rights into state law selected July 4 as their day of independence from burdensome and unnecessary gun control. State Sen. Blake Miguez (R) lauded the extension of constitutional carry to Louisiana’s law-abiding citizens.
“This Fourth of July, we celebrate not only the birth of our great nation but also a pivotal moment in Louisiana’s history — the enactment of constitutional carry legislation. Louisiana now proudly joins the ranks of states that recognize the fundamental right to carry a firearm without the need for a government-issued permit.”
Critics lashed out — without supporting evidence — at the new freedom. Anti-gun groups such as Moms Demand Action shrilly warned that leaders put citizens in harm’s way by not requiring training and permits to carry a weapon.
So, what was the result of this drastic change?
The New Orleans Police Department reports having seized fewer guns and making fewer illegal weapon arrests this year compared to 2023. Illegal gun possession arrests plummeted by 42%, and gun seizures during criminal investigations are down 21%.
Dr. Ashraf Esmail is a criminologist from Dillard University. He noted the sharp reduction in gun-related arrests and warned that police are now hamstrung in their ability to fight crime. “The use of guns has to [be] visible for law enforcement to do something about it, and that could lead to even more gun violence.”
But did it? The clear answer is no.
Homicides in the Crescent City are down an incredible 40% over 2023’s shocking numbers, and violent crime has also decreased. Officials report youth murders dropped a staggering 71%, and while concealed carry is undoubtedly not the only factor in reducing violence in the former murder capital, dire predictions proved entirely false.
What was proven beyond a doubt is that respecting Second Amendment rights did not produce the bloodletting that anti-gun forces so callously predicted. If it had, they would shout the statistics from the rooftops and blame Louisiana leaders for inciting more violent crime.
Instead of shouting, there is stone silence coming from gun rights opponents on constitutional carry. They point toward community programs targeting the relative few who carry out these heinous crimes and support systems in place to ward off these criminal acts.
And perhaps they are working. No one begrudges any effort to steer potential bad actors away from preying on the public, especially concerning the vulnerable youth population.
However, blanket restrictions on law-abiding citizens are not and never have been the answer. It is an unfortunate reality that political leaders lack the will to go after criminals and all too often resort instead to meaningless gestures that placate their base of support and do nothing to address the real issues.
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