While Mardi Gras understandably gets the lion's share of attention when it comes to letting the good times roll in Louisiana, the truth is that for weeks before Fat Tuesday rolls around there are parades and celebrations all throughout the state. And this Carnival season, several officials in the Sportsman's Paradise are reminding gun owners that even though Louisiana is now a permitless carry state, there's a big exception centered around Carnival festivities. 

The Duson Police Chief, Chief Kip Judice, wants to remind the community and surrounding areas of the gun laws as we move into Mardi Gras season.

Large crowds are expected for parades and Mardi Gras Krewe celebrations, and many folks will be under the influence. Unfortunately, while Carnival Season is meant to be centered around family fun and celebrating, the likelihood of a disagreement or argument increases with the number of people partaking in recreational substances.

To limit criminal offenses and increase public safety, Judice highlights the importance of knowing Louisiana's gun laws. 

"People show up for those events for a family fun event where a lot of things can happen, and a person in possession of a firearm is likely to make poor judgment at that time, and that could certainly result in some enhanced criminal offenses," Judice tells KLFY, "Especially during this carnival season, people partake in alcohol, partake in other things that would impair their judgment, and so just having a firearm is a bad idea."

It's never a good idea to mix alcohol and firearms, but that also doesn't mean that everyone taking part in a Carnival parade or celebration is going to be three sheets to the wind, either. 

Still, Judice is right that folks who want to exercise their right to carry, even while sober, could end up facing criminal charges if they're caught with a gun near a parade. Louisiana prohibits the lawful carrying of firearms (with or without a permit) at parades or demonstrations requiring a government-issued permit, which includes Carnival parades and Mardi Gras celebrations. There's an exception for private property located along parade routes, where property owners and their guests can still carry if they'd like. 

While it's also still legal to carry in restaurants that serve alcohol, the Louisiana State Polcie say that concealed handguns are prohibited in businesses that are classified as “bar rooms”. 

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has issued a warning to residents and visitors that police will be looking for and cracking down on drunk driving during the Carnival season, but I suspect that at least some law enforcement agencies, including the New Orleans PD, will also be keeping watch for anyone who might be carrying while intoxicated or bearing arms on a parade route. 

I don't have an issue with Louisiana's prohibition on carrying while drinking, but the law banning possession of a firearm at parades is both constitutionally suspect and a bad idea from a common sense perspective. Any individual intent on doing harm at a Mardi Gras celebration or Carnival parade is hardly going to be thwarted by a "no guns allowed" policy, but the law will make it far less likely that there'll be someone who can shoot back in self-defense and defense of others if the unthinkable happens. 

Regardless of its utility or adherence to the right to keep and bear arms, for now it is the law of the land in Louisiana, and gun owners should be well aware of that fact before they laissez les bons temps rouler this Carnival season.