https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orle...622fce617.html

NOPD arrests man on allegations he brought rifle too close to route of Pride Parade on Saturday
BY RAMON ANTONIO VARGAS | rvargas@theadvocate.com
Published Jun 8, 2019 at 10:15 pm | Updated Jun 8, 2019 at 11:04 pm
New Orleans police on Saturday arrested a man on allegations that he brought a rifle too close to the route of the city’s Pride Parade in the French Quarter.

Cody Jackson, 25, faces a count of illegally bringing a firearm within 1,000 feet of a parade route following his arrest at the corner of Royal and Barracks streets about 7 p.m., New Orleans Police Department spokesman Andy Cunningham said.

“No shots were fired in this incident, no injuries were reported and no threats of shooting were made,” Cunningham said. “I think it’s a testament to our officers’ vigilance that we identified him and took him into custody.”

In Louisiana, it is generally legal to openly carry guns. People who are properly licensed can also carry guns that are concealed.

But a law meant to promote public safety prohibit people from bringing such weapons too close to parade routes under the threat of a fine and prison time. Arrests of people accused of breaking those laws in New Orleans are not unusual during the Mardi Gras season.

Jackson’s proximity to the Pride Parade fueled speculation on social media that his goal was to harm LGBT people and other revelers before his arrest, which was captured in photos circulated online. Yet police said Jackson is known to them as an open carrier and that there was no evidence his goal was to harm anyone Saturday.

On May 18, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office reported, Jackson went into a convenience store in Marrero carrying a rifle and a holstered pistol. A deputy stopped him, and he said he was exercising his "constitutional right" to openly carry firearms, according to the Sheriff's Office.