Edwards stands by pro-gun stance, vows budget reforms

In the Sportsman’s Paradise, it’s not even safe for a Democrat to embrace gun restrictions when running for statewide office.

State Rep. John Bel Edwards, the lone announced Democrat in Louisiana’s governor’s race, has emphasized his Second Amendment credentials from the start, and he hasn’t altered his position following last week’s mass shooting in Lafayette where two victims died.

“The Second Amendment is part of the U.S. Constitution and it confers an individual right that should be protected,” said Edwards, who spoke to the Monroe Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

Instead of restricting guns, Edwards said the state should make sure those who may misuse them are screened.

“It’s inherent on us to make sure the people who are a threat to themselves or others don’t acquire guns,” Edwards said in an interview before his campaign speech.

Edwards’ speech focused on Louisiana’s fragile budget and ways it can be stabilized.

Edwards, like his Republican opponents U.S. Sen. David Vitter, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, said the next governor’s first step will be asking legislators to put in overtime.

“We’ll have to start with a special (legislative) session to put us back on the path to fiscal sanity,” he said. “We can do better in Louisiana.”

Edwards was among the lawmakers who scrapped together a $24.5 billion budget during the spring session by raising more than $700 million in new revenue to plug a gaping budget hole.

He believes the state faces similar $1 billion budget gaps during the next five years.

Edwards said lawmakers must be willing to unlock some constitutionally protected funds and reduce, cap or sunset more tax credits, exemptions and exclusions to fund priorities like higher education.

“We’ve had more higher education cuts — about $700 million over eight years — than any other state in the nation,” he said.

The result, he said, has been placing a higher burden on college-bound students.

“College students this fall are paying 90 percent more on tuition than they were in 2008,” he said. “They’re being priced out.”

Edwards said Louisiana needs a leader who will put the state’s interests first, something he said Gov. Bobby Jindal hasn’t done during his two terms.

“We’ve had a governor who was too focused on self ambition,” Edwards said. “That’s the only way I can explain the decisions he’s made year in and year out.

“My years at West Point taught me you lead by example, and you can’t lead if you’re not present.”

Follow Greg Hilburn on Twitter @GregHilburn1