State has gun law on books already (6/19)

Posted June 18, 2009 at 10:53 pm
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By JOHN GUIDROZ
AMERICAN PRESS

An existing state law prompted Calcasieu Parish police jurors on Thursday to move against amending parish codes that deal with firearm discharge regulations.

The decision was made after Parish Administrator Mark McMurry read a letter from Alan Smith, the parish’s legal counsel, on the issue.

In the letter, Smith included the definition of R.S. 14:94, which deals with “illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities.”

It defines the crime as “the intentional or criminally negligent discharging of any firearm, or the throwing, placing or other use of any article, liquid, or substance, where it is foreseeable that it may result in death or great bodily harm to a human being.”

Smith, who met with Sheriff Tony Mancuso about the law, concluded that the Police Jury did not need to adopt a similar weapons discharge ordinance.

The ordinance, drafted by Smith, was presented to the Police Jury at the Ways and Means Committee meeting May 28.

It was drafted after District 7 Police Juror Chris Landry voiced concerns about a resident in his district who claimed a neighbor had fired shots using a .22-caliber rifle. Landry said the shots were reportedly fired near leased property behind the resident’s home where his children were playing.

In the May meeting, the committee moved to have Police Jury President Hal McMillin form a committee of several police jurors to discuss the issue.

McMillin, who called the issue a “hot item,” said he was pleased to find that the existing law would be enforced by the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office gets about 200 illegal-discharge calls each year, but Mancuso said most of the calls are related to “firecrackers or backfire.”

In other business, McMurry told the panel about a 10-1 vote by the zoning board on Tuesday to defer action on the Vision: Calcasieu comprehensive plan.

Jennifer Wallace, assistant parish planner, said the decision will allow parish staff to combine the plan with two existing parishwide studies on drainage and wastewater.

The two studies should be finished by the second quarter of 2010.

Wallace said the sewer studies will help “determine the boundaries for the service areas” listed in Vision: Calcasieu. Those include “urban service and community growth” areas, which could have sewer services over the next 10 years, she said.

Wallace said she hopes that combining the studies will provide “comfort” for those who have concerns with Vision: Calcasieu.

She said parish staff will work to refine the plan and hold additional meetings with civic groups to better explain the plan and gain widespread public acceptance.

Janice Areno, zoning board member, recommended on Tuesday that Wallace give the panel quarterly updates on the plan’s progress.

The parish on June 9 agreed to buy 26.5 acres of waterfront property at the old Highway 171 boat launch in Moss Bluff.

The property, which includes three tracts of land, was purchased at its appraised value of $1.5 million. The parish will use money from its gambling reserve fund to pay for the acquisition.

Parish officials will most likely convert the land into a parish park.

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