After meeting last week with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, New Orleans officials quietly removed the 1,000-foot gun-free zone they had established illegally smack dab in the middle of the city’s popular French Quarter.
“I had a productive meeting with NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick and District Attorney Jason Williams, and Councilwoman Helena Moreno on Thursday in which I shared my concerns. They are working on a solution that would comply with the law,” Murrill said in a short statement following the meeting.
What Murrill told city officials is not exactly known. She is in Milwaukee this week attending the Republican National Convention and is unavailable for comment, according to her spokesman, Lester Duhé, who added that the Attorney General will always defend Louisianans’ Second Amendment rights.
A story published last week revealed how city officials redesignated their Eighth District police station – which is located in the middle of the French Quarter – as a vocational technical school, so that everything within a 1,000-foot radius of the new “school” became a gun-free zone, including more than five blocks of Bourbon Street.
Who will actually attend classes at the new “school” was not specified. New Orleans Police recruits are trained at the police academy, which is located at a different facility. However, city and police officials claimed some of the recruits would take at least one class in a small room at the new “vo-tech.” No classes were planned for civilian students.
Threat continues
Dan Zelenka, board member of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and president of the Louisiana Shooting Association, was among the first to notice that officials removed the French Quarter gun-free zone from the city’s online zoning map.
“The zoning map, which had been modified July 1 to add the French Quarter gun-free zone, was changed for a second time in 10 days. They removed the school zone they had placed there on July 1,” Zelenka said. “Whatever happened in her meeting, they changed the map, which is important. The map is a requirement to prosecute under the school zone.”
Zelenka and the Louisiana Shooting Association are not dropping their guard. He has heard that the city is considering partnering with an actual school, which they would host at the Eighth District police station.
“If they do that, we might have a problem,” Zelenka said. “If they partner with an actual school and that actual school holds classes there, that might be upheld as a school zone – notice the word might.”
New Orleans has a history of infringing upon the Second Amendment.
New Orleans Police officers aggressively target concealed carriers, including tourists, and after Hurricane Katrina devasted large portions of the city, NOPD officers went door-to-door confiscating legally owned firearms from city residents – a clear violation of the Second, Fourth and Fifth Amendments.
The threat, Zelenka said, is far from over.
“It is a very Democratic anti-gun council, mayor and police department, so it will never be done. I can promise you they are likely to try to legislate something next year. They will probably attempt another go around. We don’t think the issue will ever be over,” he said. “This will be an ongoing issue because frankly they just want to stop and frisk people in the French Quarter.”
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About Lee Williams
Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.
“frankly they just want to stop and frisk people in the French Quarter”.
What is the point in frisking some one who is open carrying?
HLB
Again, the free exercise of ANY constitutional Right may not be limited nor denied by geography: said Rights exist in EVERY square inch of U.S. territory. As for the assholes who pass “laws” violating these rights: TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 242 Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or… Read more »
They could use this “school” gun free zone scam to have a class once a month in different locations around the city to make the whole city a gun free a zone. I agree until there a penalties for passing unconstitutional laws it won’t stop. The Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional and these Democrats/liberals/progressives/socialist/communist, then they immediately pass a new one that is worse. So it will take years and millions of dollars to get it to the Supreme Court again. They SHOULD BE jailed, unfortunately it will never happen. If a citizen disobeyed a court ruling how long… Read more »
There is only one history-proven way to stop Communists from actively trying to subvert a nation. They only stop when they stop moving.
arrest all the city leos that break federal law and jail them with general population past acts will be punished
quick and severe punishment for tyrants like that who spit on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.