House Bill 586, sponsored by Rep. Vincent Cox III, R-Gretna, was defeated 6-3 in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee this week. The measure would have made it a crime to leave a loaded firearm accessible to children, potentially endangering them or others.
Cox framed the legislation as a reasonable safety measure. "I believe that HB 586 is common sense and responsibility without restricting Second Amendment rights," he said. The bill had been revised from a previous version to apply specifically to children 15 and younger, with exemptions for hunting and self-defense activities.
Ashlyn Carraway testified in favor of the proposal, recounting the 2011 death of her 13-year-old son Noah at a sleepover. Noah was accidentally shot by a friend who did not realize the safety on a rifle was disengaged. Despite Noah's own gun safety training, Carraway said no law existed to hold the friend's parents accountable. "We try our absolute best to keep them safe in every other way that we can," she said. "Why would this be any different?"
Opposition came from Daniel Zelenka, president of the Louisiana Shooting Association, who argued the bill's language was unconstitutionally vague. He contended the law was not preventative since it would only apply after an incident occurred. Zelenka also cited a U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down Washington, D.C.'s firearm storage requirements on Second Amendment grounds.
The debate grew heated during the hearing. Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans, expressed frustration with gun-rights advocates, telling Zelenka: "I hate when you come here. I am triggered. I am disgusted." Knox said parents' stories about children killed in gun incidents had not prompted compromise from his colleagues.
Committee chair Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, a former prosecutor, raised separate concerns. She suggested the bill could complicate Louisiana's legal landscape, since the state already classifies negligent homicide as a felony. Rep. Bryan Fontenot, R-Thibodaux, worried the law could result in parents being imprisoned if a child died by suicide.
A pediatric neurosurgeon testified that similar laws in Texas and Florida have proven preventative. The Louisiana Department of Health reported in April that such measures correlate with a 33% decrease in unintentional child shootings. Since last year's failed bill, 14 unintentional shootings by children have been recorded in Louisiana.
A companion measure by Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, failed in the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 7. Cox has pursued similar legislation for two years without success on the House floor.
