Louisiana's new law allows cancelled guns into religious places

Washington, July 9 (ANI): Gun rights advocates got a monumental boost with Louisiana law that allows concealed handguns in religious places, overturning a state ban.

"The governor's position on the Second Amendment is not new, he sides with the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners," Fox News quoted Gov. Bobby Jindal's spokesman Kyle Plotkin, as saying.

Supporters of the measure say it can be a deterrent against criminal activity in church and will give an option to ministers and pastors to incorporate concealed handguns into their security plans.

However, opponents argue that it's inappropriate to have concealed handguns in church.

Places of worship that invite concealed guns will have to inform their members of the decision and anyone wishing to carry one will have to take an extra eight hours of tactical training each year.

"The question Louisiana residents need to be asking themselves is: Is someone who takes a single eight-hour class fit to defend themselves should a crisis situation arise in the church? We would say no," Ladd Everitt, a spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence said.

Louisiana has become one of the few states allowing concealed guns in places of worship.

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said it isn't taking a position on Louisiana's gun law because it doesn't force churches to allow guns.

"The main thing is churches have been doing the right thing in banning guns, when the Bible says blessed are the peacemakers, it's not referring to the Colt .45," Daniel Vice, a senior attorney with the organization said.

The Legal Community Against Violence, law center based in San Francisco, as saying that similar legislation failed in Kansas, Mississippi and Ohio.

Earlier this year, Georgia passed a law that allows churchgoers to carry concealed weapons in the parking lots of churches. (ANI)