BATON ROUGE — A bill that would have criminalized unsecured firearm storage when a minor or prohibited person could gain access to the weapons failed Tuesday in the Senate Judiciary C Committee.
Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia, who is running for Congress, and five other Republicans voted against advancing the bill. Sen. Regina Ashford Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, who authored the measure, was the only Democrat present and the only vote in favor.
Barrow addressed the emotional consequences of unintentional gun deaths of children. "I personally have witnessed the tragedy and the hole that it leaves in families," she said.
Barrow said she had spoken at length with the Louisiana Shooting Association and with Miguez before the committee hearing.
Daniel E. Zelenka II, an attorney and president of the Louisiana Shooting Association, opposed the bill during Barrow's closing remarks, calling it unnecessary. He referenced other leading causes of death among minors in Louisiana.
"To put it into perspective, there's almost a thousand deaths amongst this age group from drowning every year, but we're not criminalizing swimming pools," Zelenka said.
Everett Chase Baudean, vice president of the Louisiana Shooting Association, said the bill was too broad and restricted effective self-defense. Both Baudean and Zelenka said they personally keep the vast majority of their firearms secured.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that from 2003 to 2021, there were 1,262 unintentional firearm deaths among U.S. children up to age 17, with 85% occurring in the home. Barrow said Louisiana recorded 121 such deaths in a single year, more than four times the national average. Three children in Baton Rouge have been injured by accidental gunfire this year alone, two fatally. Louisiana ranks second in the nation for gun-death rates, with people ages 15 to 34 accounting for 49% of all gun deaths in 2023.
Under the bill, a parent or guardian found in violation would have faced fines of up to $500 and six months in jail, with penalties increasing to fines of up to $1,000 and one year in prison if a child or prohibited person was injured as a result. The bill exempted those who carry a firearm on their person and those whose firearms are taken when a minor or prohibited person breaks into their home or business.
Zelenka and Baudean suggested alternatives, including gun safety education in schools, free online safety training through the state police, and elementary school programs modeled after the DARE initiative.
Barrow was unmoved by the counterproposals. "The bottom line is they don't want to change," she said. "We don't want to change what we currently have. We want to keep it as is."
