Louisiana State Police
Concealed Handgun Permit Laws and Rules
Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit Application
Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit
Frequently Asked Questions
Louisiana State Legislature
Division of Administration
Reciprocity Laws
Office of the Attorney General
Louisiana Secretary of State

Reciprocity states: Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia, Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wyoming, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin

This applies for both resident and non-resident permits but Louisiana residents must have a permit from their own state.

State reciprocity laws:

RS 40:1379.3

T. (2) A current and valid concealed handgun permit issued by another state to an individual having attained the age of twenty-one years shall be deemed to be valid for the out-of-state permit holder to carry a concealed weapon within this state if a current and valid concealed handgun permit issued by Louisiana is valid in those states.

T. (3) An out-of-state permit holder carrying a concealed handgun pursuant to this Paragraph is bound by the laws of this state regarding carrying a concealed handgun pursuant to a permit issued in accordance with this Section.

Application process for first time applicants:

1. Apply using one of the methods below:
a. Complete the online application found here
b. Download and apply for the permit on the first two pages
c. Contact the State Police Headquarters for an application (7919 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge LA 70806) during their normal hours of operation
2. Compile and turn in all the required information including training requirements, information on any arrests if applicable, medical information and divorce information. 3. Obtain a set of fingerprints from the sheriff’s department and state or local police department. Bring fingerprints and photograph to the state police department: Louisiana State Police, Concealed Handgun Permit Unit, PO Box 66375, Baton Rouge, LA 70896

Renewal process:

1. Renewal notices will be sent to permit holders 120 days before the expiration of the permit.
2. After receiving the notification permit holders can renew using one of these methods:
a. Complete the online application found here
b. Download and apply for the permit on the first two pages
c. Contact the State Police Headquarters for an application (7919 Independence Blvd., Baton Rouge LA 70806) during their normal hours of operation
3. The renewal application, updated training certificate and a copy of a driver’s license and all renewal fees must be submitted for renewal. The passport photo requirement has been dropped as well as the fingerprint cards.
4. Send the completed packet to the renewal department 90 days prior to the permit expiration to ensure they are completed in time.
5. If you miss the dates and reapply more than 60 days after it expired an entirely new submission is required including a new set of fingerprints.
6. All documentation and paperwork should be sent to the attention of the Renewal Department, Louisiana State Police, Concealed Handgun Permit Unit, PO Box 66375, Baton Rouge, LA 70896.

Original applicant fees:

Veteran permits are $62.50 for a five year permit or a lifetime permit for $250.00

Fees for a 5 year permit are $125.00 for those aged 21-64 and $62.50 for those over 65.

There is an additional fee if you have not resided in the State of Louisiana for 15 years prior to the date when the application is submitted.

Renewal fees are $125.00 for those aged 21-64 and $62.50 for those aged 65 or older.

Additional fees are not required for renewals nor are fingerprints.

Fees are all non-refundable and are paid by certified check or money order.

Statutes regarding permits:

§1379.1. Special Officers; Powers and Duties; Concealed Handgun Permit G. The chief law enforcement officer of a parish shall have the authority to issue a concealed handgun permit to an individual, which permit shall be valid only within the boundaries of the chief law enforcement officer’s parish. Lifetime Licenses (Effective date of the new law creating Lifetime Licenses is 8/1/2013)

R.S. 40:1379.3(V),

V.(1)The term for the lifetime concealed handgun permit shall be for the life of the permit holder.

(4)(a) A lifetime concealed handgun permit holder shall provide the division with proof of completion of educational training every five years. The educational training shall include all of the following: (i) Instruction on handgun nomenclature and safe handling procedures for a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol. (ii) Instruction on ammunition knowledge and fundamentals of pistol shooting. (iii) Instruction on handgun shooting positions. (iv) Instruction on the use of deadly force and conflict resolution which shall include a review of R.S. 14:18 through 22 and which may include a review of any other laws relating to use of deadly force. (v) Instruction on child access prevention. (vi) Actual live range fire and proper handgun cleaning procedures: (aa) Live range fire shall include twelve rounds each at six feet, ten feet, and fifteen feet for a total of thirty-six rounds. (bb) Each applicant or permittee must perform at least one safe reload of the handgun at each distance. (cc) Each applicant or permittee must score one hundred percent hits within the silhouette portion of a N.R.A. B-27 type silhouette target with at least thirty-six rounds. (b) Failure to submit proof of completion of the educational training pursuant to the provisions of this Paragraph shall result in the suspension of the lifetime concealed handgun permit until such time as the lifetime concealed handgun permit holder submits proof of the educational training required in the provisions of this Paragraph.

Important notice: Moving out of state will void the lifetime license.

There are no non-resident permits in the State of Louisiana.

The statute does not stop property owners or lessees from stopping people from carrying on their property and consent is required from the property owners for people to carry on a private residence.

R.S. 40:1379.3

(N) states that no concealed handgun may be carried into and no concealed handgun permit issued pursuant to this Section shall authorize or entitle a permittee to carry a concealed handgun in any of the following: A law enforcement office, station, or building; A detention facility, prison, or jail; A courthouse or courtroom, provided that a judge may carry such a weapon in his own courtroom; A polling place; A meeting place of the governing authority of a political subdivision; The state capitol building; Any portion of an airport facility where the carrying of firearms is prohibited under federal law, except that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, if the firearm is encased for shipment, for the purpose of checking such firearm as lawful baggage; Any church, synagogue, mosque or similar place of worship; See RS 40:1379.3 (U) A parade or demonstration for which a permit is issued by a governmental entity; (means be in the parade or part of the demonstration) Any school “firearm free zone” as defined in R.S. 14:95.6.

There are special requirements for religious buildings where they can decide whether or not to allow concealed carry and include specific decisions communicated. Carrying in a church requires special training and new laws don’t apply to religious buildings or school property.

RS 14:95.2 Carrying a Firearm, or Dangerous Weapon, by a Student or Nonstudent on School Property, at School-Sponsored Functions or Firearm-Free Zone

Carrying a firearm, or dangerous weapon, by a student or nonstudent on school property, at school-sponsored functions or firearm-free zone A. Carrying a firearm, or dangerous weapon as defined in R.S. 14:2, by a student or nonstudent on school property, at a school sponsored function, or in a firearm-free zone is unlawful and shall be defined as possession of any firearm or dangerous weapon, on one’s person, at any time while on a school campus, on school transportation, or at any school sponsored function in a specific designated area including but not limited to athletic competitions, dances, parties, or any extracurricular activities, or within one thousand feet of any school campus. B. For purposes of this Section, the following words have the following meanings: (1) “School” means any elementary, secondary, high school, vocational-technical school, college, or university in this state. (2) “Campus” means all facilities and property within the boundary of the school property. (3) “School bus” means any motor bus being used to transport children to and from school or in connection with school activities. (4) “Nonstudent” means any person not registered and enrolled in that school or a suspended student who does not have permission to be on the school campus. C. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to: (4) The possession of a firearm occurring within one thousand feet of school property and entirely on private property, or entirely within a private residence, or in accordance with a concealed handgun permit issued pursuant to R.S. 40:1379.1 or R.S. 40:1379.3.

From the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Office of State Police, Concealed Handgun Permit Unit web booklet on Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit Laws and Administrative Rules. Page 35 it states that on a college campus firearms cannot be carried but LRS 14:95.2 C. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to:

(8) A student who possesses a firearm in his dormitory room or while going to or from his vehicle or any other person with permission of the administration.

Students can keep firearms in their dorm rooms but must have the approval of the administration. Permission is required to move back and forth and failure to obtain permission can result in expulsion.

Body Armor: 14 §95.9. Wearing or Possessing Body Armor, By A Student or Nonstudent On School Property, At School-Sponsored Functions, or In Firearm-Free Zones

A. Wearing or possessing body armor, by a student or nonstudent on school property, at a schoolsponsored function, or in a firearm-free zone is unlawful and shall be defined as wearing or possessing of body armor, on one’s person, at any time while on a school campus, on school transportation, or at any school-sponsored function in a specific designated area including but not limited to athletic competitions, dances, parties, or any extracurricular activities, or within one thousand feet of any school campus.

B. For purposes of this Section, the following words have the following meanings: (1) “Body armor” shall mean bullet-resistant metal or other material intended to provide protection from weapons or bodily injury. (2) “Campus” means all facilities and property within the boundary of the school property. (3) “Nonstudent” means any person not registered and enrolled in that school or a suspended student who does not have permission to be on the school campus. (4) “School” means any elementary, secondary, high school, vocational-technical school, college, or university in this state. (5) “School bus” means any motor bus being used to transport children to and from school or in connection with school activities.

C. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to: (1) A federal, state, or local law enforcement officer in the performance of his official duties. (2) A school official or employee acting during the normal course of his employment or a student acting under the direction of such school official or employee. (3) A person who has notified the school principal or chancellor in writing at least twenty-four hours prior to wearing body armor. (4) The wearing or possessing of body armor occurring within one thousand feet of school property and entirely on private property, or entirely within a private residence, or in accordance with a concealed handgun permit issued pursuant to R.S. 40:1379.1.

Guns signs have the force of law in the State of Louisiana.

The provisions of R.S. 40:1379.3 (N) shall not limit the right of a property owner, lessee, or other lawful custodian to prohibit or restrict access of those persons possessing a concealed handgun pursuant to a permit issued under this Section. No individual to whom a concealed handgun permit is issued may carry such concealed handgun into the private residence of another without first receiving the consent of that person.

Limitations regarding storing a firearm in vehicles:

Reaffirms the rights of law-abiding Louisianans to transport and store lawfully-possessed firearms in locked, privately-owned motor vehicles – including while traversing or parking in any parking lot, parking garage or other parking area.

States that no property owner, tenant, public or private employer, or business entity shall prohibit any person from transporting and storing a lawfully-possessed firearm in a locked, privately-owned motor vehicle.

A public or private employer or business entity may restrict the transportation and storage of lawfully-possessed firearms in locked private motor vehicles in their parking areas ONLY IF public access is restricted or limited to those areas (can be through the use of a gate, fence, security station, signage, etc.) AND the employer or business ALSO meets one of the following conditions: (1) the employer or business provides facilities for temporary storage of unloaded firearms; OR (2) the employer or business entity provides an alternative parking area reasonably close to the main parking area in which employees, customers or visitors may transport and store firearms in locked vehicles.

An employer or business entity may adopt policies specifying that firearms in locked, privately owned motor vehicles parked on their property must be hidden from plain view or stored within a locked case or container within the vehicle.

The law does not apply to property where the possession of firearms is prohibited under state or federal law.

The law does not apply to any vehicle owned or leased by a public or private employer or business entity and used by an employee in the course of his or her employment.

Grants property owners, tenants, public or private employers, and business entities immunity from civil liability for damages resulting from or arising out of an occurrence involving a firearm transported or stored pursuant to the Act (except in cases where the property owner, tenant, employer or business violates the Act itself)

You must inform police officers that you are carrying.

LRS 40:1379.3 §1379.3. Statewide Permits for Concealed Handguns; Application Procedures; Definitions

(I) (2) A permittee armed with a handgun in accordance with this Section shall notify any police officer who approaches the permittee in an official manner or with an identified official purpose that he has a weapon on his person, submit to a pat down, and allow the officer to temporarily disarm him. Whenever a law enforcement officer is made aware that an individual is carrying a concealed handgun and the law enforcement officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the individual is under the influence of either alcohol or a controlled dangerous substance, the law enforcement officer may take temporary possession of the handgun and request submission of the individual to a department certified chemical test for determination of the chemical status of the individual. Whenever a law enforcement officer is made aware that an individual is behaving in a criminally negligent manner as defined under the provisions of this Section, or is negligent in the carrying of a concealed handgun as provided for in R.S. 40:1382, the law enforcement officer may seize the handgun, until adjudication by a judge, if the individual is issued a summons or arrested under the provisions of R.S. 40:1382. Failure by the permittee to comply with the provisions of this Paragraph shall result in a six-month automatic suspension of the permit.

Carrying is allowed in State Parks, State and National Forests, WMAs and Rest Areas.

Louisiana law does not expressly stop people from carrying in vehicles.

RS 14:95.6 §95.6. Firearm-Free Zone; Notice; Signs; Crime; Penalties A. A “firearm-free zone” is an area inclusive of any school campus and within one thousand feet of any such school campus, and within a school bus. B. The Provisions of This Section Shall not Apply To: (1) A federal, state, or local law enforcement building. (2) A military base. (3) A commercial establishment which is permitted by law to have firearms or armed security. (4) Private premises where a firearm is kept pursuant to law. (5) Any constitutionally protected activity within the firearm-free zone, such as a firearm contained entirely within a motor vehicle.

Carrying a firearm is legal in Louisiana except for those places listed as off limits. Refer to the specific section regarding RV and personal vehicles.

Louisiana state law preempts all local ordinances.

§1796. Preemption of State Law A. No governing authority of a political subdivision shall enact after July 15, 1985, any ordinance or regulation more restrictive than state law concerning in any way the sale, purchase, possession, ownership, transfer, transportation, license, or registration of firearms, ammunition, or components of firearms or ammunition

RS 40:1796 Part II-A. Miscellaneous Provisions

§1796. Preemption of State Law

A. No governing authority of a political subdivision shall enact after July 15, 1985, any ordinance or regulation more restrictive than state law concerning in any way the sale, purchase, possession, ownership, transfer, transportation, license, or registration of firearms, ammunition, or components of firearms or ammunition; however, this Section shall not apply to the levy and collection of sales and use taxes, license fees and taxes and permit fees, nor shall it affect the authority of political subdivisions to prohibit the possession of a weapon or firearm in certain commercial establishments and public buildings.

B. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit a local governing authority in a high-risk area from developing a plan with federally licensed firearms manufacturers, dealers, or importers to secure the inventory of firearms and ammunition of those licensees in order to prevent looting of the licensee’s premises during a declared state of emergency or disaster. Such plan shall be renewed on a periodic basis. The information contained in the plan shall be deemed security procedures as defined in R.S. 44:3.1 and shall be released only to the sheriffs of the parishes or police chiefs of municipalities in which the declared state of emergency or disaster exists.

C. For The Purposes of This Section: (1) “Declared emergency or disaster” means an emergency or disaster declared by the governor or parish president pursuant to the provisions of the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act. (2) “High-risk area” means the parishes of Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Vermilion.

(F) (3) Any ordinance that prohibits the unlawful carrying of firearms enacted by a municipality, town, or similar political subdivision or governing authority of this state shall be subject to the provisions of R.S. 40:1796.

Title 14 – Criminal Law

RS 14:18 Justification; general provisions
RS 14:19 Use of force or violence in defense
RS 14:20 Justifiable homicide
RS 14:21 Aggressor cannot claim self-defense
RS 14:22 Defense of others

Check the state law pages for specific requirements regarding carrying knives.

Carrying in restaurants where alcohol is served is permitted per 14:95.5(C).

New Orleans, LA

Sec. 54-339. – Sale, purchase, possession, use of specified instrumentalities prohibited. It shall be unlawful for anyone knowingly to: (1) Sell, manufacture, purchase, possess or carry any blackjack, sand club, metal knuckles, switchblade knife or spring knife, iron buckle, zip gun or stun gun;

Contact the state authorities for specific information regarding LEOSA.

It is permissible to carry in an airport per RS 40:1379.3N in the parking lots and the terminal.

Firearms training is valid for 12 months.

Residency is established upon obtaining a driver’s license within the state.

The minimum required age for a permit or license is 21 years.

Permit information is not considered public.

Reciprocity laws are defined in RS 40:1379.3

Firearms laws are defined in 14-94 thru 14-95.9 40-1379.3 -1379.3.1 & 1382

Deadly force laws are defined in RS 14:18 thru 14:22

Knife laws are outlined in RS 14:95

No specific laws were found regarding chemical and electrical weapons.

14:95.3 outlines guidelines for body armor.

Per 1379.3, permits only cover firearms.

It is permissible to carry a firearm while hunting per SB212 and RS 56:116.1E, this also includes bow hunting.

Loaded Firearm Definition: There are no specific definitions for a loaded firearm for the State of Louisiana.
Emergency Powers for the State of Louisiana:

RS 29 §724. Powers of the Governor (Excerpt)

A. The governor is responsible for meeting the dangers to the state and people presented by emergencies or disasters, and in order to effectuate the provisions of this Chapter, the governor may issue executive orders, proclamations, and regulations and amend or rescind them. Executive orders, proclamations, and regulations so issued shall have the force and effect of law.

B.(1) A disaster or emergency, or both, shall be declared by executive order or proclamation of the governor if he finds that a disaster or emergency has occurred or the threat thereof is imminent. The state of disaster or emergency shall continue until the governor finds that the threat of danger has passed or the disaster or emergency has been dealt with to the extent that the emergency conditions no longer exist and terminates the state of disaster or emergency by executive order or proclamation, but no state of disaster or emergency may continue for longer than thirty days unless renewed by the governor. (4) As soon as conditions allow, the governor may proclaim a reduction of the designated emergency area, or the termination of the state of emergency.

D. In addition to any other powers conferred upon the governor by law, he may do any or all of the following: (1) Suspend the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business, or the orders, rules, or regulations of any state agency, if strict compliance with the provisions of any statute, order, rule, or regulation would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with the emergency. (2) Utilize all available resources of the state government and of each political subdivision of the state as reasonably necessary to cope with the disaster or emergency. (3) Transfer the direction, personnel, or functions of state departments and agencies or units thereof for the purpose of performing or facilitating emergency services. (4) Subject to any applicable requirements for compensation, commandeer or utilize any private property if he finds this necessary to cope with the disaster or emergency. (5) Prescribe routes, modes of transportation, and destination in connection with evacuation. (6) Suspend or limit the sale, dispensing, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, firearms, explosives, and combustibles.

G. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, except in an imminent life threatening situation nothing herein shall restrict any uniformed employee of a licensed private security company, acting within the scope of employment, from entering and remaining in an area where an emergency has been declared. The provisions of this Subsection shall apply if the licensed private security company submits a list of employees and their assignment to be allowed into the area, to the Louisiana State Board of Private Security Examiners, which shall forward the list to the chief law enforcement office of the parish and, if different, the agency in charge of the scene.

Additional notes – When federal laws apply such as when states are receiving federal assistance then the laws will be different. Refer to US Code 42-5207 for specific guidelines.

The minimum age for transporting or possessing a firearm in the state is 17 years of age per RS 14:95.8 without a permit.

When traveling check the requirements for the area where you will be traveling to ensure you meet all necessary restrictions.

8/4/15 – Initial page created.