SB 277: WEAPONS: Provides for certain state officials to carry a concealed weapon. (8/1/26) - Louisiana

SB277 Enrolled → SB277 Original · 4 edits

MODERATE

The enrolled version of SB 277 narrowed concealed-carry privileges for state officials compared to the original bill. It limited each executive official to a single designated assistant (rather than multiple) and created a two-tier system for carrying weapons in the state capitol building, barring executive branch officials from the Senate chamber, House chamber, and legislative committee rooms while granting legislators full access.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed each executive official's concealed-carry privilege from 'designated assistants' (plural, allowing multiple people) to 'a designated assistant' (singular, limiting to one person per position). This applies to the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and forestry, and commissioner of insurance.

Added 'members of the legislature' to the list of officials permitted to carry concealed weapons in the state capitol building. They were not included in the original bill's capitol-building exception.

In the capitol building provision, changed from 'designated members of his staff' (plural) to 'a designated member of his staff' (singular) for each executive official, further limiting how many staff can carry.

SCOPE

Split the state capitol building weapon-carrying exception into two tiers. Tier 1 (attorney general/LBI security detail and members of the legislature) may carry in the entirety of the capitol building. Tier 2 (governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, and both commissioners with one designated staff member each) may carry in the capitol building but NOT in the Senate chamber, House chamber, or any legislative committee room.

SB277 Original → SB277 Act 410 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The enrolled version of SB 277 introduces a tiered system for carrying concealed weapons in the state capitol building. The original bill gave all listed officials equal access to the entire capitol building, but the enrolled version splits them into two groups: members of the legislature and the attorney general's security detail retain full access, while the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, and two commissioners are now barred from carrying weapons in legislative chambers and committee rooms. Additionally, each of those six officials is now limited to one designated staff member rather than multiple.

SCOPE

The bill now amends all of R.S. 14:95(H) rather than just paragraphs (H)(1) and (2)(a), broadening the statutory reference.

REQUIREMENT

A new paragraph (3) creates a restricted-access tier for capitol building weapon carrying. The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and forestry, and commissioner of insurance may carry in the capitol building but are explicitly prohibited from doing so within the Senate chamber, House chamber, and any legislative committee room.

ELIGIBILITY

The original bill listed all officials (including the governor and other executive officers) as having access to the entire state capitol building. The enrolled version limits that full access to only the attorney general's LBI security detail and members of the legislature, demoting the executive officers to a restricted tier.

Each of the six executive-branch officials (governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and forestry, commissioner of insurance) is now limited to 'a designated member of his staff' (singular) instead of 'designated members of his staff' (plural), reducing the number of authorized assistants from multiple to one per official.

SB277 Engrossed → SB277 Enrolled · 3 edits · May 27, 2026

MINOR

This diff reflects the transition of SB 277 from its Engrossed version to its Enrolled version, which is a procedural step indicating the bill has been approved by both chambers and signed by the governor. No substantive policy changes were made between these two versions; the statutory text is identical.

TECHNICAL

Document status changed from ENGROSSED to ENROLLED, reflecting final legislative approval.

The digest section and the summary of amendments adopted by the Senate were removed, as these are not part of the enrolled law.

Signature blocks for the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Governor of Louisiana were added, along with an APPROVED line, confirming formal enactment.

SB277 Enrolled → SB277 Act 410 · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill has been formally enacted as Act No. 410, transitioning from a draft legislative proposal to an official law. This change signifies that the provisions within the bill are now legally binding and enforceable, replacing the previous draft status with final statutory authority.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains unchanged; the text represents the final enacted version of the original Senate Bill 277.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the bill's official enactment status, changing the title from 'Senate Bill No. 277' to 'Act No. 410' and adding the session year.

SB277 Original → SB277 Enrolled · 4 edits · May 27, 2026

MODERATE

This bill expands the list of state officials authorized to carry concealed weapons by adding designated assistants to the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and forestry, and commissioner of insurance. It also clarifies the rules for carrying weapons inside the state capitol building, specifying which officials can carry them in general areas versus restricted chambers like the Senate and House.

Scope change

The bill broadens the scope of who is eligible to carry concealed weapons from specific high-ranking officials to include their designated assistants, and refines the exceptions for carrying weapons within the state capitol building.

ELIGIBILITY

Added designated assistants of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and forestry, and commissioner of insurance to the list of officials permitted to carry concealed weapons.

Updated the list of officials allowed to carry weapons in the state capitol building to include only the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and treasurer along with one designated member of their staff, while maintaining separate exceptions for the attorney general and legislative members.

Expanded the list of covered courts to include federal courts domiciled in Louisiana and traffic courts.

Added new categories of officials including United States attorneys and investigators, assistant attorneys general, city prosecutors, assistant city prosecutors, and congressional staff.

SB277 Engrossed → SB277 Original · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was reverted from an 'Engrossed' version to its 'Original' version, effectively undoing a previous amendment. The change removes a restriction that limited state officials to carrying only one designated assistant, restoring the authority for officials to designate multiple staff members for firearm qualification.

Scope change

The scope of eligibility for carrying concealed weapons was expanded back to allow multiple designated assistants per official, whereas the amended version had restricted this to a single assistant.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the restriction limiting state officials to designating only one assistant for firearm qualification, restoring the ability to designate multiple staff members.

TECHNICAL

Reverted the bill text from the 'Engrossed' version back to the 'Original' version, reversing all formatting and substantive edits made during the committee process.

WEAPONS: Provides for certain state officials to carry a concealed weapon. (8/1/26)

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors