Councilman to scrap bar-hour ordinance
January 16, 2013
Marking the dream; tossing the gantlet
January 22, 2013
National discussion about gun control prompted by the Connecticut school shooting tragedy – and the recent federal response – is echoing in south Louisiana homes and businesses, in ways that range from general expressions of concern to tangibles like a run on ammunition purchases and increased inquiries about the availability of assault weapons.
In a region where firearms used for hunting or target shooting is related to rites of passage in many families, the signing of multiple executive orders by President Barack Obama has raised eyebrows.
Local takes are far less shrill than the evolving national debate. But the extremes on both of its poles – those who see recent mass shootings as a justification for extreme gun restrictions and those who see that response as the calling card of Armageddon, are far less evident in local living rooms and restaurants than on the CNN or FOX news stations.
Nonetheless, attempts to examine local gun culture and the effects on life and limb of firearms in general highlight some concerns evident from the White House actions. And some local gun sellers, while opposed to undue restrictions, say they have known of cracks in the gun accountability system that may be ignored in the heat of debate, but bear closer examination.
• Local vendors say they are left with the choice of whether to sell or not when a delay occurs in purchase background checks.
• Detailed data on how firearms relate to injuries or deaths is virtually unavailable anywhere in Louisiana.
“I didn’t see anything that would impact duck hunters and hunters in general,” Mickey Thompson, an event co-chairman with the Houma-Terrebonne chapter of Ducks Unlimited, said of what he knows of executive orders and a call to Congress for further restrictions on so-called assault weapons. “But we are concerned in our hunting groups about the potential. The anti-gun, anti-hunting groups are often very closely aligned.”
Fear that assault-type weapons may no longer be available for future purchase is what gun dealers’ surmise is the reason for a wave of telephone inquiries and store visits.
In a region where hunting and marksmanship are a part of family traditions, there has been little call for assault-type weapons, dealers say.
Until now.
“People come in and ask every day,” said Susan Roberts of Top Dollar Pawn on La. Highway 182 in Houma. “Before all this, you just couldn’t sell them; they were so high priced usually.”
At Fred’s Pawn on Grand Caillou Road, John Theriot is also getting lots of calls.
“I’ve noticed an extreme increase in activity on people looking and phone calls regarding this,” he said. “Everybody is also asking for clips. If we had the right merchandise, I would be ready to retire.”
At the Southern Sporting Center in Thibodaux, Michelle Pellegrin said she is having difficulty ordering all kinds of ammunition.
“There is panic buying and then supplies are low,” she said. “We can’t even get .22 (caliber) long-range.”
Pellegrin only sells hunting rifles, more traditional rifles and shotguns. But she is getting an unusual number of inquiries from people wanting the AR-15s and other assault-type guns.
While acknowledging the right to bear arms should not be unduly infringed, some gun dealers and enforcement officials question anyone’s need for the variety of military-style weapons that are on the market, attributing the sudden demand to a media-driven panic. Safety needs to be the key element of any plan to keep a weapon in the home, they say.
“They need to join the Army,” Terrebonne Sheriff Jerry Larpenter said of many in search of assault weapons. “I played with them toys in the service; we were defending our country and the world.”
Larpenter, an avid sportsman, does not want to see Second Amendment rights eroded. But he wants people to make wise weapons choices.
“I don’t think it has a place for home protection or for hunting,” the sheriff said of the assault-type rifle.
What he and other officials hope is that the current focus on such weapons will not cause people who have no experience with weapons to over-arm themselves, leading to potential dangers.
“If you don’t feel you can take a life or shoot somebody, don’t carry it. If you feel you can’t pull the trigger, don’t carry it,” Larpenter said. “Some would do better with a small-caliber weapon that will not penetrate a wall. We are not shooting through walls at people. If you shoot through a wall, you are an aggressor. A lot of people arm themselves with shotguns. Growing up, that’s all we had.”
Lafourche Sheriff Craig Webre has heard all about long lines at Cabella’s and local ammo shortages.
“Unfortunately, part of what this debate has caused is panic buying, what you have now,” he said.
Trying to decide what type of weapon to buy for self-defense, he said, is all about what you are comfortable with and not the idea of an image or a particular type of gun.
“It is about what you are comfortable shooting and competently operating as it is about caliber and magazine capacity,” Webre said. “People die from Saturday night specials and from AK-47s. What we teach in courses is that we want them to have a reliable firearm that they are comfortable with and that they will be able to operate in a situation in which they have to defend themselves. There are clearly some weapons that don’t lend themselves to a civilian application. I am more interested in the characteristics than the make of the gun.”
Webre noted that automatic weapons have had restrictions for decades.
“These are restrictions based on demonstrated need and capability,” he said.
One gun store owner who asked not to be identified described how he recently tried to talk an octogenarian customer out of buying an assault-type rifle.
“I pointed across the street to him and said, ‘Can you see the people there?’ and he said, ‘No,’” the dealer said. “I said, ‘Then why do you want a gun that when you fire it there’s a good chance you will hit those people that you can’t see?’”
Although recent gun buyers have reportedly said their goal is to keep their homes safe and their loved ones protected, local statistics – the few that are available – reveal some disconcerting information about firearms deaths.
In 2011, firearms were used in 8 of the 12 reported suicides in Lafourche Parish, according to Coroner John King’s annual report.
In Terrebonne Parish, cases for 2012 are still being processed so complete numbers are not available.
But in 2011 gunshot suicides exceeded homicides. A total of 11 men died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Six men and two women were killed by gunshots fired by other people, classified as homicides.
In 2010 nine men succumbed to self-inflicted gunshots. Four women and seven men were victims of gun-related homicides that year. As the discussions and arguments on national policies continue, local gun dealers and others concerned about firearms safety say there are some rules in place that should get a second look. One of the most important – and one most people are not aware of – concerns what happens if clearance for purchase of a gun does not come back but is held in the system.
Dealers said they are given the choice, so long as there is not an actual rejection, of approving the sale themselves.
“After a delay we will call and if they have no correction and we hear nothing for the time period we have the choice,” said Theriot of Fred’s Pawn. “I will not do it. I will not take that responsibility. I have had so many irate people who said, ‘I bought a gun from so-and-so and, after a delay, they let me have it.’ I tell them, ‘I suggest you go back there and get another one. I am not going to transfer a gun out of this store unless there is a formal OK.’”
Buyer’s Beware
The spotlight on guns and gun laws, as well as concerns generated by a string of mass shootings in the U.S., is packing to capacity classes for firearms handling and weapons permits in local parishes.
“We are full for this class and our participants are aged from 19 to 91,” said Sgt. David Robichaux of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, who teaches a concealed weapons class to the public.
While guns in the home for hunting and other sports are a long-standing south Louisiana tradition, authorities note that more people who might not have had weapons before are buying them for protection.
Below are some tips from Robichaux and other law enforcement professionals for anyone bringing a gun home for the first time.
• SHOP CAREFULLY. Consult with someone who knows guns to determine what gun will best suit your use.
• DON’T RELY ON CLERKS. Some are very knowledgeable about guns and their applications and some are not. Better to talk it over with an expert.
• RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. Check in with your local sheriff’s shooting range. Officers there will be happy to advise you.
• HANDLE WITH CARE. Always presume that every firearm is loaded and handle it as if it is. Many people have been killed with “empty” guns.
• BE PREPARED TO PRACTICE. Buying a gun, storing and forgetting about it can be a tragedy waiting to happen. Practice shooting so that if an emergency arises, you are mentally and physically able to respond.
• MAKE A STORAGE PLAN. Whether you use trigger locks, a storage cabinet or a gun safe, it is important to carefully choose how and where your gun will be kept. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice.
• SIGN UP FOR A COURSE. Concealed carry classes contain excellent safety information, whether you want such a permit or not. The Louisiana hunter safety course is also recommended as a good basic source of information.
• BEWARE, CHILDREN. They really don’t always know the difference between the real thing and a toy. Their curiosity doesn’t halt at dangerous things.
• DETERMINE RISKS. That powerful assault weapon you just purchased will run the right bullet through body armor. And through the wall and into the room where your children are sleeping. Think carefully about what to buy.
• DON’T BRAG. A sure way to make sure intruders are prepared for your defense is for them to know you are protected by a firearm.
Christie Bergeron displays a Remington 870 at Fred’s Pawn on East Tunnel Boulevard in Houma.
