Louisiana bill to hold adults responsible if children access loaded guns rejected

Published: April 30, 2026

By: Veronica Camenzuli, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – A bill holding adults legally responsible if children gain access to a loaded firearm was rejected 6-3 by a House committee this week.

House Bill 586, by Rep. Vincent Cox III, R-Gretna, would have criminalized leaving a loaded firearm where children could access it, potentially harming themselves or others, but failed in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.

“I believe that HB 586 is common sense and responsibility without restricting Second Amendment rights,” Cox said.

Ashlyn Carraway, whose 13-year-old son Noah died due to his friend accidentally shooting him at a sleepover in 2011, spoke in support of the bill’s goals of child safety.

“We try our absolute best to keep them safe in every other way that we can,” Carraway said. “Why would this be any different?”