OC and School Rule

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How serious is the law regarding no OC within 1000 feet of any school? I live right behind a school, so would I be breaking the law once I step foot off of my property? This seems so ridiculous because basically, I cannot OC if I'm near my own house.

Also, how do they measure the 1000 feet? Is it 1000 feet in general, or 1000 feet going by streets and sidewalks. And is it 1000 feet to the edge of the school property, school building, or front door of the school?

The whole rule is ridiculous.

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Very good question.



I wondered the very same thing the other day. I wonder if this measurement is measured from the outer perimeter of the school grounds-in a straight line, from the actual building, etc...

Anyone know for certain how this 1,000 feet is measured?



Dirty

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Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

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Serious indeed.

We're fairly close to the school here at my house-just down the street. When I walk the dog around the block I checked the distance from the closest point on the walk to the school and found it to be 0.3 of a mile, which is roughly 1,600 feet from the school. I'm safe.

Dirty

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Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

That'd be my thought too.

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Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

So basically, I cannot OC from or to my own home?

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ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

So basically, I cannot OC from or to my own home?

Click to expand...

Not if it involves stepping onto private property to go somewhere besides your vehicle.

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Louisiana Carry wrote:

ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

So basically, I cannot OC from or to my own home?

Click to expand...

Not if it involves stepping onto private property to go somewhere besides your vehicle.

Click to expand...

Ok, so I would be able to OC to and from my house, only if I was carrying to and from my car. Is that what you're saying?

Sorry if I'm being bothersome. I just want to know all the facts before I do anything. Thanks for helping me out.

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ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

So basically, I cannot OC from or to my own home?

Click to expand...

Not if it involves stepping onto private property to go somewhere besides your vehicle.

Click to expand...

Ok, so I would be able to OC to and from my house, only if I was carrying to and from my car. Is that what you're saying?

Sorry if I'm being bothersome. I just want to know all the facts before I do anything. Thanks for helping me out.

Click to expand...

Yep, you can OC to and from your car while on private property, which certainly includes your own property. You can drive down the street and pull into a parking lot of a business, exit the car and go into the business while OCing within the 1000' zone. Again, private property. Don't walk down a public street or sidewalk tho...

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turbodog wrote:

ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

So basically, I cannot OC from or to my own home?

Click to expand...

Not if it involves stepping onto private property to go somewhere besides your vehicle.

Click to expand...

Ok, so I would be able to OC to and from my house, only if I was carrying to and from my car. Is that what you're saying?

Sorry if I'm being bothersome. I just want to know all the facts before I do anything. Thanks for helping me out.

Click to expand...

Yep, you can OC to and from your car while on private property, which certainly includes your own property. You can drive down the street and pull into a parking lot of a business, exit the car and go into the business while OCing within the 1000' zone. Again, private property. Don't walk down a public street or sidewalk tho...

Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up. Guess I won't be OC'ing anytime soon as using the sidewalks and streets is the only way of getting around. I'm in downtown New Orleans, and I usually have to park my car far from my house.

Don't you all think this law is absolutely ridiculous? What difference does it make if I carry my firearm near a school.

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If you are going to carry, especially open carry, it pays to read and know the law for yourself, and not rely on internet lawyers. (Not downing anyone, just staing a general rule).

In this case, here is what you need: RS 14:95.2

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Thanks LA Carry.

To me this reads you can OC no closer than 1,000 feet in a straight line direction from the outer perimeter of the school grounds.

I think I'm still going to get my roll around tape measure and see for myself just how close I get to the school while walking the pup.

Dirty

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dirty_sanchez,

I would argue that La. Rev. Stat. 14:95.2 does not apply to open carry. Note that it states the following:

"The provisions of this Section shall not apply to . . . [a]ny constitutionally protected activity which cannot be regulated by the state, such as a firearm contained entirely within a motor vehicle."

Open carry has been recognized as a constitutionally-protected activity. See State v. Nelson, 367 So. 2d 317, 318 (La. 1979) ("Each citizen is guaranteed the right to keep and bear arms not concealed on his person."). I don't see how the argument could be made that open carry is less protected than carrying in a motor vehicle; both exceptions work as a negative inference from the text of Louisiana's right to keep and bear arms.

However... the federal government also has a law banning carrying within 1,000 feet of a school. I'm not familiar enough with the interaction between state constitutional rights and federal statutory law to saw which would trump the other in this instance, but suffice to say the federal law could still apply even if La. Rev. Stat. 14:95.2 does not.

As for how far 1,000 feet is, the answer is: a long friggin' way. It's about 2-4 city blocks, depending on how wide the blocks are. I'd wager this constitutes roughly half of the City of New Orleans. It makes carrying legally very difficult here.

In any case, if it's any consolation, my understanding is that the firearm free zone laws usually aren't used against persons off school grounds who haven't committed another, serious crime. It's usually a tacked-on offense. Alas, you're still at the whim of the officer, of course.

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While I completely agree that your argument has moral and logical merit, the legal ground that it is upon is tenuous. Courts have ruled that "reasonable restrictions" apply to constitutionally protected activities, and considering the grave potential consequences, I would never advise anyone to ignore them.

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Louisiana Carry,

This isn't really a "reasonable restrictions" case -- it's a clear matter of statutory construction. The statute says that it does not apply to constitutionally protected activities, and so the only issue is whether open carry is constitionally protected. The question of whether the restriction is reasonable is prior -- we're both assuming, for the sake of argument, that the 1,000 foot school zone restriction is "reasonable" under Heller (and the courts may eventually hold otherwise).

I agree that none of this matters if you're arrested and have to spend thousands defending yourself against a bogus conviction. The fact that there are no appellate cases dealing with this issue would likewise weigh against open carrying within 1,000 feet of schools. Although Louisiana technically doesn't follow the common law doctrine of stare decisis, courts nevertheless tend to respect precedent here in the same way they do in any other state.

That said, the far better legal argument is still that under state law, the 1,000 foot rule does not apply to open carry. Federal law, as I noted above, is a whole 'nuther ball of wax.

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Courrèges wrote:

Louisiana Carry,

This isn't really a "reasonable restrictions" case -- it's a clear matter of statutory construction. The statute says that it does not apply to constitutionally protected activities, and so the only issue is whether open carry is constitutionally protected. The question of whether the restriction is reasonable is prior -- we're both assuming, for the sake of argument, that the 1,000 foot school zone restriction is "reasonable" under Heller (and the courts may eventually hold otherwise).

That said, the far better legal argument is still that under state law, the 1,000 foot rule does not apply to open carry. Federal law, as I noted above, is a whole 'nuther ball of wax.

Click to expand...

I still wonder what makes possessing a gun in car a protected activity but outside a car it's not?

Our state constitution says we have the right to keep and bear arms, this is not constitutional protection?

If not, what IS constitutional protection?

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turbodog wrote:

Courrèges wrote:

Louisiana Carry,

This isn't really a "reasonable restrictions" case -- it's a clear matter of statutory construction. The statute says that it does not apply to constitutionally protected activities, and so the only issue is whether open carry is constitutionally protected. The question of whether the restriction is reasonable is prior -- we're both assuming, for the sake of argument, that the 1,000 foot school zone restriction is "reasonable" under Heller (and the courts may eventually hold otherwise).

That said, the far better legal argument is still that under state law, the 1,000 foot rule does not apply to open carry. Federal law, as I noted above, is a whole 'nuther ball of wax.

Click to expand...

I still wonder what makes possessing a gun in car a protected activity but outside a car it's not?

Our state constitution says we have the right to keep and bear arms, this is not constitutional protection?

If not, what IS constitutional protection?

Click to expand...

Exactly. There is nothing that legally distinguishes carrying in a motor vehicle from open carry, at least from a constitutional perspective. The Louisiana Constitution guarantees the right to keep and bear arms "except" that regulation of concealed carry is permissible. Under the canons of legal interpretation, the expression of one idea is the exclusion of another -- thus, we assume that the exception listed is the only exception (except for so-called "reasonable restrictions" -- minor infrigements for competing interests of health and safety). Both the motor vehicle exception and the open carry exception work from this same negative inference.

As I noted above, the Louisiana Supreme Court recognized in State v. Nelson that the right to bear arms not concealed on one's person (i.e., open carry) isconstitutionally protected. I think it's a pretty clear statement of law.

However, the problem is that nobody has actually litigated this precise issue through the courts, so it's one of those cases of"you might be right, but being right isn't always enough." I wouldn't want to have to fight the issue, potentially through multiple appeals.

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Louisiana Carry wrote:

ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

So basically, I cannot OC from or to my own home?

Click to expand...

Not if it involves stepping onto private property to go somewhere besides your vehicle.

Click to expand...

So I 'm guessin there has been clarification on going into a convenience store within the zone while CCW ??



I have been told by the CHL unit several years ago that thats not really private property ( convenience, grocery, gas station etc )and if its within the zone you cannot carry, only at a private residence



I know thats not remotely what the statue says....thats what the CHL unit said

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Yrdawg wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

ejacobson325 wrote:

Louisiana Carry wrote:

Pretty serious.

IIRC, it is up to five years at hard labor for a violation.

I would imagine it is from the edge of the property.

Click to expand...

So basically, I cannot OC from or to my own home?

Click to expand...

Not if it involves stepping onto private property to go somewhere besides your vehicle.

Click to expand...

So I 'm guessin there has been clarification on going into a convenience store within the zone while CCW ??



I have been told by the CHL unit several years ago that thats not really private property ( convenience, grocery, gas station etc )and if its within the zone you cannot carry, only at a private residence



I know thats not remotely what the statue says....thats what the CHL unit said

Click to expand...

There may be case law to that effect, but I am not aware of it. However, a plain reading of the statute should work in favor of the accused. You and I know the hazards of listening to LEOs when it comes to speculation about legal interpretation. They may be able to give an informed opinion on what you will be arrested for, but only a judge/jury/appeals court can speak for what you will be convicted of. The law does not say residence, it says private property. I spoke to an appeals court judge about that kind of thing, and he said that his guiding principle is that doubt works in our favor.

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LOL



Hey theres hope in doubt then



Its always amazn tryin how to legaly carry out my 2 A rights :cuss:



No doubt the stat is plainly worded as you say and as far as I have been able to determine , La only recognizes two types of property ....public and private

Tks as always for info