A state House panel shot down several bills Tuesday that would have placed new restrictions on some weapons – signaling a near-certain end this session for gun legislation largely prompted by recent mass shootings.
The House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee rejected four weapons-related bills, ranging from bans on so-called "bump stocks" to stricter background check protocols. Each was voted down along party lines, with Democrats favoring sending the bills to the House floor for consideration and Republicans or members without a party voting to kill the measures.
"It's a hard conversation to have with many people whose minds are already made up," state Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, remarked at one point. "I think we have to have these conversations and we have to do something sooner rather than later."
The votes came in rapid succession during the committee hearing, even as states around the country eye new restrictions on guns following a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead last month.
Some Republicans on the national stage have embraced the calls for tighter gun controls and it has sparked protests across the country, including a march on the Louisiana State Capitol grounds.
But Tuesday's votes in the conservative House Criminal Justice Committee serve as a strong indication that the Louisiana Legislature won't implement new laws on guns this session, as the panel is a key hurdle for such legislation to pass.
Nikolas Cruz was just 18 years old when he legally bought the AR-15 he used to kill 17 people at a Florida high school in February.
