Guns Save Lives – by Dan Cannon
Gun rights have been crushing federal court cases recently. Just last week a federal judge ordered the Department of Justice to turn over all documents related to the ATF’s Fast & Furious operation, and just yesterday a federal judge ruled that aspects of California’s 10 day waiting period were unconstitutional.
Today, we have yet another victory in Louisiana where a federal judge has ruled that a local Baton Rouge law banning firearms on the property of businesses that serve alcohol, even in the parking lot, is a violation of the Second Amendment.
According to NOLA.com, not only did the judge strike down the law, he also awarded the plaintiff in the case monetary damages,
The plaintiff, Ernest Taylor, says that around 1:30 a.m. Oct. 13, 2012, he was pulled over for a traffic stop after exiting Romeo’s Lounge parking lot. After telling the officer he had two rifles in his car along with the proper permits, the officer forcibly retrained him on the hood a car before arresting him.
“When (Taylor) explained to (the officers) his understanding that he was allowed to carry the guns inside of his vehicle, the officers responded that there was a ‘new law’ that made it illegal for anyone to possess a firearm in the parking lot of an establishment that sold alcohol,” the judge’s order says, citing the lawsuit.
The judge ordered the city to return Taylor’s firearms to him and to pay him monetary damages, which will later be decided in a court hearing. Jackson also permanently barred the city, police chief, city attorneys and arresting officers from enforcing the ordinance in the future.
People who carry in Louisiana, please note that it is still illegal to carry a firearm into a bar by state law. This ruling effectively strikes down the law because it also bans guns in the parking lots of bars.
Still, it’s a minor win.
Dan Cannon
ALL laws restricting fire arms are illegal….All of them.