Provides relative to the carrying of firearms on college campuses

HB 99 amends Louisiana's firearm laws to permit individuals aged eighteen and older who are lawfully permitted to possess firearms under state and federal law to carry firearms on college and university campuses. The bill accomplishes this by modifying the definition of "school" in multiple criminal statutes to exclude public colleges and universities and state-funded private colleges and universities, thereby removing these institutions from firearm prohibition zones established in R.S. 14:95.2 and R.S. 14:95.6. The legislation creates a new statutory section, R.S. 14:95.11, which establishes the affirmative right to carry firearms on college campuses while specifying prohibited locations such as areas subject to federal firearm restrictions, medical or mental health treatment centers, and secured events with controlled access. The bill further amends R.S. 40:1379.3 regarding concealed handgun permits to create an exception for individuals carrying pursuant to the new campus carry authorization.

The practical effect of this legislation extends to students, faculty, staff, contractors, and visitors at all public colleges and universities in Louisiana, as well as private or independent institutions that receive state funding. These individuals may now lawfully carry firearms on campus without registering them or declaring their eligibility to the institution, subject to the specified prohibitions. The bill explicitly prohibits institutions from disciplining, penalizing, or retaliating against any person solely for carrying a firearm in compliance with the statute. Additionally, the legislation restricts the regulatory authority of the Board of Regents, public college and university management boards, and participating private institutions that accept students receiving state financial assistance, preventing them from adopting policies requiring firearm registration, mandating firearm training beyond state law requirements, or imposing campus-specific firearm limitations that conflict with the new statutory framework.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's constitutional framework protecting the right to bear arms under both the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 11 of the Louisiana Constitution. The bill integrates with Louisiana's existing permitless carry laws, extending those protections to college campuses. It modifies the criminal code structure in R.S. 14:95, R.S. 14:95.2, and R.S. 14:95.6 by creating categorical exclusions for higher education institutions from traditional firearm prohibition zones. The legislation also interacts with Louisiana's system of state financial assistance for higher education, specifically conditioning restrictions on private institutions that accept recipients of Opportunity, Performance, Honors, or TOPS-Tech Awards. A severability clause ensures that if any provision is invalidated, the remaining provisions will remain enforceable, protecting the statute's overall operative effect.