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January 31, 2023
SHOT Show Rewind: La. State Rep. Blake Miguez Recognized for Second Amendment Efforts
Louisiana state Republican Rep. Blake Miguez attended SHOT Show® 2023 and was honored for his stalwart support of the firearm industry. He accepted NSSF’s 2022 State Legislator of the Year Award from Laurie Aronson, a member of the NSSF Board of Governors and Lipsey’s Chairwoman and CEO.
Speaking at the Lipsey’s SHOT Show exhibit booth, Rep. Miguez told NSSF’s Darren LaSorte he is committed to protecting Louisianans’ Second Amendment rights and defending the firearm industry from “woke” corporate discrimination.
Safeguarding the Second Amendment
Rep. Miguez says after winning reelection to the Louisiana House of Representatives, his fellow legislators have turned to him as a “subject matter expert” on firearm policy, given his background. That’s no surprise – Rep. Miguez is a world-renowned shot who finished 5th in the 2022 IPSC World Shoot in Thailand in November 2022 to help Team USA claim the Silver Medal.
He added that becoming a state legislator gave him the “real opportunity to not only advocate for our industry but also to advocate for what our Founding Fathers desired for our country… our God-given Constitutional rights to self-defense, our ability to have a firearm to protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
“How do you have a firearm and protect yourselves if there’s no industry to provide those firearms and ammunition?” Rep. Miguez asked.
In 2020, Rep. Miguez led the legislative effort in Baton Rouge to pass an Industry Protection Bill that prohibited Louisiana state and local government officials from forcibly closing firearm manufacturers and retailers during declared emergencies and disasters, which protected many family businesses across Louisiana, especially in recent years during the coronavirus pandemic. NSSF’s LaSorte called this legislation a “major bill for future generations” should a COVID-like situation arise again.
Fighting ‘Woke’ Corporate Discrimination
In 2021, Rep. Miguez passed the Firearm Industry Nondiscrimination (FIND) Act, which would legally prevent banks, insurance companies, payment processing platforms and other institutions from providing essential financial services to lawful and Constitutionally-protected firearm businesses based on “woke” political motives. Despite overwhelming approval in the Louisiana legislature, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the legislation.
“If someone doesn’t pay their bills or isn’t a good business, then obviously the bank shouldn’t do business with them,” Rep. Miguez explained. “But the instances that we saw… [bankers were saying] ‘if you sell firearms or ammunition, or you don’t adopt a certain policy like not allowing a 18, 19, or 20 year old to buy a hunting rifle… we’re going to kick you out of the bank, call your loan and we’re not going to process your payments anymore’ – that is pure discrimination against the gun industry.”
Rep. Miguez said he expects the state’s political climate to change for the better.
“We will be getting a new governor,” he noted. “I don’t know who that will be yet but I’m praying it’ll be someone who can take this legislation (the FIND Act) and run with it.
“In Louisiana, we believe in our guns,” Rep. Miguez added. “We saw it tested on the ballot – a supermajority of the folks in Louisiana are pro-gun and we want policies that represent that… In the legislature, they elect us to be their voices in Baton Rouge… We don’t want policy being determined in the board rooms… of these large financial institutions that don’t care about Louisiana values, don’t care about our industry, and don’t care that much about our Constitutional rights.”
To watch the full SHOT TV interview with Republican Louisiana state Rep. and Majority Leader Blake Miguez, click here.
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NSSF Names Louisiana State Rep. Blake Miguez 2022 State Legislator of the Year
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