Louisiana governor signs bills that expand death row execution methods and concealed carry

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry approved 11 bills Tuesday, including expanding death row execution methods, concealed carry of a gun without a permit and legislation that effectively eliminates parole for most jailed in the future.

The governor’s ceremony of signing bills into law follows a short crime-focused special session where the GOP-dominated Legislature passed a slew of policies, which will overhaul elements of the criminal justice system in a state grappling with one of the highest rates of incarceration and violent crime in the country.

“Today we sign these bills to start to make Louisiana safe,” Landry said Tuesday.

Among the bills signed by Landry is legislation that adds the use of nitrogen gas and electrocution as methods to carry out the death penalty.

Despite 58 people currently sitting on Louisiana’s death row, an execution has not been held since 2010. Like most states that have capital punishment, Louisiana has relied on lethal injection. But amid legal battles and challenges over the drugs involved, some states have explored other methods.

Proponents of expanding the allowed execution methods say it’s past time for the state to uphold “contractual obligations” between victims’ families and the state. Opponents question the legality of the proposed methods, saying they could amount to cruel and unusual punishment.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> A look at the tough-on-crime bills Louisiana lawmakers passed during a special