Because you'd dismiss it as another of those endless April Fools posts.
Much as I wish it were, I'm afraid that Louisiana's latest state legislator really is Barry Ivey, and he intends to live up to the image that made his campaign famous (or notorious, depending on your perspective).
First, let's review the image that Ivey used to define his values during the campaign, values we all share, like the love of a father for his children. And his firearms.
Despite not providing a picture of his dog holding a gun, Mr. Ivey won the seat in the state leg, and hasn't wasted a second in proving he means it when he says, "PRO-GUN." In fact, it looks as if he's, um, aiming to be known as the PRO-GUN SHO-GUN.:
Less than a month after becoming the newest member of the Louisiana House, Barry Ivey's first legislative action shows he is intent on reaffirming his campaign slogan, "Pro-Life. Pro-Family. Pro-Gun." The Central-area businessman filed a bill Wednesday to allow for lifetime concealed carry permitting.
Currently, concealed carry permits cost $125 and last for five-years. House Bill 265 would allow Louisianans to choose between the five-year permit or one that would last for life. The lifetime permit would cost $500 and no periodic training or courses would be required.
The lifetime concealed-carry permit is needed, you see, as applications for permits have skyrocketed statewide and wait times have lengthened due to the socialist Joker Obummer's draconian crackdown on firearms ownership (permitting loaded weapons in national parks, Amtrak trains and other heinous, anti-gun measures).
Besides, what could go wrong? Some will surely squawk that process of checking criminal records, reviewing concealed carry law and safety measures every five years is needed, but that's absurd. Surely if someone is law-abiding and safety-conscious, they're going to remain so for the rest of their lives, right?
Besides, if a permit holder were to run afoul of the law or slide into dementia, concerned neighbors could surely report those changes to the proper authorities, right? I mean, if those neighbors had any way of knowing their neighbor had a concealed carry permit.
So, kudos to newly-minted Rep. Ivey. Your devotion to your second amendment rights, coupled with your remarkable immunity to irony has taken our fair state one step closer to the title "State with the Worst Gun Regulation in America."
Watch out, Oklahoma. We're sniffing your taillights.