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Carry & reciprocity

Louisiana

Allows permitless (constitutional) carry for qualifying residents and, per its own rules below, often visitors too.

Minimum carry age: 21 to rely on an out-of-state permit; 18 for permitless carry

Louisiana State Police list of 37 states under 'States that honor Louisiana permits AND whose permits are honored in Louisiana' (mutual recognition per R.S. 40:1379.3(T)(2)); the out-of-state holder must be 21+. The permit need not be from the holder's home state, but R.S. 40:1379.3(T)(4) says an out-of-state permit cannot authorize a Louisiana resident to carry in Louisiana. Connecticut appears on neither LSP list. Since 7/4/2024, R.S. 14:95(M) allows any person 18+ not prohibited from possessing a firearm to carry concealed without a permit, with no residency limit — so the reciprocity list mostly matters for 18–20 year olds and permit-specific privileges (e.g. school-zone rules).

LA official source →

Reciprocity status reviewed August 2026.

Quick reference

Tap any answer to jump to its full write-up and source, below.

Where you can carry in Louisiana

23 specific questions, each with its own answer and, where one was found, a real source.

Reviewed September 2026. First-pass research: sourced per answer below, not yet independently re-verified line by line.

Open carry allowed in this state

Yes

Louisiana's general carrying-weapons statute (La. R.S. 14:95) criminalizes only concealed carry (and specific aggravating circumstances); open carry has never required a permit for an adult who is not otherwise prohibited. Restrictions on carrying near alcohol-serving establishments, polling places, courthouses etc. apply to open carry the same as concealed.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Places of worship

No

La. R.S. 40:1379.3 lists a church, synagogue, mosque, or similar place of worship as a prohibited location for a concealed handgun permit holder, full stop — UNLESS the entity that owns/controls the place of worship affirmatively authorizes the specific permit holder to carry there. Absent that affirmative church authorization, carry is a criminal violation, making this one of the strictest state rules (default banned, narrow opt-in only).

Source (2026-09-01) →

Restaurants that serve alcohol

Yes

R.S. 14:95.5 bans firearms at "alcoholic beverage outlets" generally, but exempts concealed handgun permit holders (R.S. 40:1379.1/1379.3) on the premises of an outlet holding a Class A-Restaurant permit. A Class A-General permit (the typical bar license) is not exempted.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Boats

Yes

Louisiana has statewide permitless carry for qualifying adults 18+ (eff. 7/4/2024), and its concealed handgun permit program (administered by Louisiana State Police) is not place-limited to exclude boats. No Louisiana-specific boat/vessel firearms restriction was found; LSP's own CHP law-and-rule booklet does not list one.

Source (2024-07-04) →

Government buildings

Depends

Multiple secondary sources (Giffords Law Center, and the New Orleans PD's own firearms-enforcement operations manual) consistently state Louisiana bans concealed handguns in a courthouse or courtroom, with an exception letting a judge carry in his or her own courtroom. Despite real effort — trying several R.S. 14:9x sections and the Louisiana Legislature's own site — I could not pull the exact governing section's text directly to verify the citation word-for-word, so I'm not presenting this as independently confirmed from the primary statute. No evidence surfaced of a broader ban reaching ordinary state/local government buildings like a DMV or city hall.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Universities — public or private

No

La. R.S. 14:95.2 makes it a felony (up to 5 years) to carry a firearm on the campus, in a building, or on a bus of any public or private K-12 or higher-education institution. The statute's concealed-permit exception applies only within the surrounding 1,000-foot firearm-free buffer zone (R.S. 14:95.6), not on the campus itself.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Private property open to the public

Yes

Louisiana restricts carry in a short statutory list of establishment types (e.g., certain alcohol-serving premises under La. R.S. 40:1379.3(N)), but for an ordinary retail/grocery business the standard opt-out/trespass rule (La. R.S. 14:63) applies — carry is presumptively lawful absent posted or verbal notice.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Private property — is owner permission required

Yes

No LA statute requires advance owner consent; general criminal trespass law (La. R.S. 14:63) requires notice before presence becomes unlawful (opt-out default). Constitutional-carry state.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Airports (non-secure areas)

Depends

usacarry.com's Louisiana summary quotes the airport restriction as 'any portion of an airport facility where the carrying of firearms is prohibited under federal law' — language that, if accurate, would mean Louisiana defers entirely to the federal secure-area line and non-secure areas are unrestricted (similar to TX/IN/KY). I was not able to independently verify this against Louisiana's own statute (a Louisiana concealed-handgun-permit provision, likely in Title 40) or find a second corroborating source, so I'm presenting it as likely-but-unconfirmed rather than a settled yes.

Source (2026-09-01) →

In a vehicle while traveling

Yes

Louisiana's constitutional (permitless) carry law took effect July 4, 2024, letting adults 18+ carry a concealed handgun without a state permit, which covers vehicle carry too. I could not get a clean fetch of the amended La. R.S. 14:95/40:1379.3 text itself this session (legis.la.gov and casetext both failed) — this is based on Wikipedia's summary of the 2024 law change, so verify the exact current statutory language before treating this as settled for edge cases (e.g., prohibited persons, sensitive locations).

Source (2024-07-04) →

Hospitals / doctor's offices

Yes

La. Rev. Stat. §14:402.1(A) (2018 SB76) only criminalizes carrying into a hospital for a person who is ALREADY prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law. A valid CCW permit holder is by definition not such a prohibited possessor, so this provision doesn't bar them; no broader Louisiana hospital-carry ban for permit holders was found.

Source (2018-08-01) →

Rest areas, in a vehicle

Yes

Louisiana became permitless-carry in 2024. La. R.S. 14:95's location restrictions are essentially limited to school campuses/buses and the State Capitol; no rest-area restriction, and vehicle carry is separately protected under La. R.S. §40:1810 et seq. Verified against the statute text directly.

Source (2024-07-04) →

Duty to inform police or other authorities if asked

Yes

R.S. 40:1379.3(I)(2): a permittee "shall notify any police officer who approaches the individual 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." Proactive, triggered by the officer's approach, not by a question. Non-compliance triggers a 6-month permit suspension. Acts 2025, No. 273.

Source (2025-08-01) →

Can a non-resident apply for a permit

No

La. R.S. 40:1379.3(B)(1)/(C)(3): "A concealed handgun permit shall be issued only to a Louisiana resident." "Resident" is defined (subsection J(3)) as a person legally domiciled in Louisiana, proven by a valid Louisiana driver's license or state ID — there is no separate non-resident permit category. (A carve-out in the same definition simply protects Louisiana residents who are temporarily elsewhere on military/student status from losing residency — it does not let an out-of-state domiciliary qualify.)

Source (2026-09-01) →

K-12 school zones

Depends

La. R.S. §14:95.2 creates a 'firearm-free zone' covering school campuses AND the area within 1,000 feet of campuses (mirroring the federal buffer); a concealed handgun permit holder is exempted specifically for the 1,000-ft buffer portion (§14:95.2(C)(9)), but this does not clearly extend to carrying on the actual campus/school property itself, which remains separately restricted. Louisiana adopted permitless carry in 2024, so an unlicensed carrier lacks even this buffer-zone exemption. Note: 2025's SB 101 removed private and vocational schools from this statute's protections.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Is a posted "no guns" sign criminally enforceable, or just a request

Unclear — needs a human look

I recall Louisiana's general criminal trespass statute, La. R.S. 14:63, is often cited as explicitly listing the posting of signs as one valid method of 'forbidding' entry (alongside oral or written notice), which if accurate would make Louisiana a 'yes' (sign alone sufficient, no personal request needed) — but I was unable to fetch the actual statutory text in this session to confirm that recollection, and per the task's own instruction not to let a plausible general answer stand in for a verified one, I am marking this unclear rather than asserting it as confirmed.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Does state law preempt local/city carry ordinances

Yes

La. R.S. § 40:1796: no political subdivision may enact an ordinance more restrictive than state law on sale, possession, carrying, etc. of firearms after July 15, 1985 — note local ordinances that predate that cutoff were grandfathered in, a real (if narrow and shrinking) named exception.

Source (1985-07-15) →

Polling places

No

La. R.S. 18:461.7(C)(3) (per MAP) prohibits any person from carrying or possessing a firearm while present in a polling place; Giffords Law Center corroborates: 'Louisiana prohibits any person carrying or possessing a firearm while present in a polling place, except a peace officer in the performance of his or her official duties' — no exception for concealed handgun permit holders.

Source (2025-08-29) →

Magazine capacity restricted

No

No state-level magazine capacity restriction found.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Red flag / extreme risk protection order law

No

No extreme risk protection order or red flag statute found in Louisiana.

Source (2026-09-01) →

NFA weapons allowed (suppressors, SBR/SBS, etc.)

Yes

Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 40, Ch. 6 (R.S. 40:1781/1785) tracks federal registration for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs — no separate state permit required (a lifetime concealed handgun permit gives an optional state-registration alternative under R.S. 40:1796, but not required if already federally registered). Suppressor hunting use is authorized under R.S. 56:116.6. Machine guns: R.S. 40:1752 makes possession unlawful EXCEPT for any machine gun lawfully manufactured, transferred, or possessed under federal law — a pre-1986 transferable machine gun registered under the federal NFA is lawful with no extra state step.

Source (2026-09-01) →

Duty to retreat before using force in self-defense

No

Stand Your Ground by statute: La. Rev. Stat. § 14:19(C)-(D); § 14:20(C)-(D) — no duty to retreat.

Source (2026-09-01) →

"Universal" background checks required for private transfers

No

No Louisiana statute requires background checks on private firearm transfers. Confirmed via absence from Giffords' UBC list.

Source (2026-09-01) →

This is information, not legal advice, and it can be wrong or out of date — carry law changes without notice and varies by locality in ways a single page can't fully capture. Verify anything load-bearing against the official source linked above and each answer's own citation before you rely on it.