Louisiana Gun Laws

• Permitless Carry Expansion: By 2026, Louisiana is fully operating under the permitless (constitutional) carry law enacted in 2024 (SB 1). Any law-abiding citizen 18 years of age or older who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm may carry a concealed handgun statewide without a permit. The political climate remains heavily pro-Second Amendment.
• Age Reduction Realignment: The transition to permitless carry effectively lowered the concealed carry age from 21 to 18 for non-permit holders, aligning the concealed carry age with the traditional open carry age in the state.
• Robust State Preemption: Louisiana actively enforces its state preemption laws, strictly forbidding local municipalities, like New Orleans or Baton Rouge, from enacting their own restrictive gun control ordinances or bans on firearm carry.

Louisiana is a "Shall Issue" state. The Louisiana State Police (LSP) continues to issue the Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) for those seeking interstate reciprocity and NICS background check exemptions.

• Minimum Age: 18 years old.
• Training Requirements: Applicants must complete a 9-hour state-approved training course that includes classroom instruction on Louisiana self-defense law, conflict resolution, safe handling, and a live-fire proficiency test.
• Background Checks: A mandatory state (LSP) and federal (FBI) fingerprint-based background check is conducted, alongside checks of local court records and mental health databases.
• Fingerprints: A complete set of fingerprints is strictly required.
• Application Fees: The standard fee is $125.00 for a 5-year permit, or $500.00 for a lifetime permit. Fees are reduced by half for applicants aged 65 and older, and waived for active-duty military and eligible veterans.
• Processing Times: By law, the Louisiana State Police has up to 120 days to issue or deny the permit once all materials and fingerprint results are received.

Louisiana maintains a highly permissive legal framework with no state-level restrictions on modern sporting rifles or magazine capacities.

• Magazine Capacity: No restrictions. Any capacity magazine is completely legal to possess, buy, sell, and carry.
• "Assault Weapon" Bans: None. Louisiana does not regulate or ban semi-automatic firearms based on cosmetic features or "military-style" appearance.
• Restricted Ammunition: Louisiana explicitly outlaws the possession or use of armor-piercing ammunition (Teflon-coated or specific metal core) used in the commission of a crime. Otherwise, there are no specific state-level bans on hollow points or other standard rounds.
• Banned Models: No specific firearm models are banned by name in the state of Louisiana.

Louisiana offers robust "Stand Your Ground" and "Castle Doctrine" protections, formally recognizing a citizen's right to justifiable homicide when defending against violent felonies.

• Stand Your Ground: Yes. Louisiana law states that a person who is in a place where they have a right to be has no duty to retreat before using deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm.
• Castle Doctrine: Yes. The law applies a legal presumption that a person reasonably feared imminent death if they use deadly force against an intruder unlawfully and forcefully entering their home, place of business, or occupied motor vehicle.
• Duty to Retreat: No. State statute actively forbids courts or finders of fact from considering the possibility of retreat as a factor in determining whether the use of force was reasonable.
• Civil Immunity: Yes. Louisiana provides statutory immunity from civil lawsuits for individuals who use justified force in self-defense, preventing attackers or their surviving relatives from successfully suing for damages.

Transportation of firearms in Louisiana is highly permissive due to constitutional carry and strong vehicle protections.

• Handguns: Any law-abiding adult 18 or older may transport a loaded handgun on their person, in a glove box, under a seat, or anywhere inside the passenger compartment of their vehicle.
• Long Guns: May be legally transported loaded in a motor vehicle. There is no state requirement for long guns to be unloaded or cased during transport.
• Federal Gun-Free School Zone Act: Constitutional carry does not satisfy the federal GFSZA exemption. To legally drive within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school in Louisiana without risking federal prosecution, an individual must possess a valid, state-issued Louisiana CHP.

Louisiana defers entirely to federal law for commercial firearm transactions and places no mandates on private sales.

• Dealer Sales: All purchases through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) require a standard NICS background check.
• Private Sales: No background check, paperwork, or government registration is required for private, face-to-face firearm transfers between two Louisiana residents.
• Waiting Periods: There are no mandatory waiting periods for purchasing any type of firearm in Louisiana.
• CCW Bypass: A valid Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit (CHP) qualifies as an exemption to the NICS background check at a dealer, allowing for the immediate transfer of the firearm.

Louisiana does not have an Extreme Risk Protection Order (Red Flag) law. There is no civil legal mechanism in the state that allows law enforcement, family members, or doctors to petition a judge for the temporary, preemptive confiscation of an individual's firearms without full criminal due process and a formal conviction or mental health adjudication.

Because Louisiana operates under constitutional carry, eligible adults (18+) face no penalties for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit in allowed areas. However, if a "prohibited person" (such as a convicted felon) is caught in possession of a firearm, it is a severe felony carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years (and up to 20 years) in state prison at hard labor without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

Carrying a firearm into a statutorily prohibited zone, such as a school or a parade, is treated with extreme severity. Carrying a firearm onto K-12 school property is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Carrying into a bar or establishment that sells alcohol for on-premises consumption is a severe misdemeanor that can result in up to 6 months in jail, fines, and the permanent loss of carry privileges.