Louisiana Still Refuses to Allow Felons to Have Guns

Felons are still not allowed to possess guns in the state of Louisiana. Last night, the state Supreme Court ruled to uphold a previous verdict prohibiting convicted felons from owning firearms.

This decision stems from challenges to a 2012 constitutional amendment in which Louisiana voters approved gun ownership as a fundamental right, which requires restrictions surrounding that right to be met with “strict scrutiny” by the high courts.

"Some arrested or convicted of crimes involving firearms have attempted to show that the laws under which they were charged do not withstand strict scrutiny and are thus unconstitutional," wrote Associate Justice Jefferson Hughes III in the verdict.

"In these consolidated cases we now reject those arguments," he continued. "Our law proscribing the possession of firearms by convicted felons is not affected by the amendment and withstands a strict scrutiny analysis. Such laws are effective, time-tested, and easily understandable, and do not violate the constitution. Common sense and the public safety allow no other result."

Supreme Court justices are now interested in the intent behind the amendment to strengthen the Second Amendment in Louisiana, which was supported to great lengths by the National Rifle Association and Governor Bobby Jindal.