Defend Louisiana campaign aims to 'protect gun owners,' Second Amendment

Gun control proposals put forth by President Barack Obama this month were met by counter-proposals in Louisiana Monday, as a state lawmaker unveiled a statewide campaign to "defend the rights of Louisiana residents to bear arms." The centerpiece of the Defend Louisiana initiative will be multiple pieces of pro-Second Amendment legislation as well as a statewide tour.

"We've done some good things to protect the Second Amendment in Louisiana, but we're not finished yet," State Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Bossier City, said in a statement Monday. "The solution to gun violence is not found in restricting the rights of law abiding citizens or demonizing self-defense."

Thompson said the bills he will propose aim to "protect gun owners" from more stringent federal laws, enhance school safety, raise awareness of gun safety and ownership laws and celebrate the tradition of hunting.

The planned legislation will also include measures to penalize those who publish the names of concealed carry permit holders, a move made after a New York-area paper made public the names and addresses of local gun owners.