Freshman Louisiana State Rep. Jeff Thompson founded the “Defend Louisiana” campaign and he held an “open conference” with almost 10,000 participants, along with U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).

That’s a success by anyone’s standard, and gun rights activists in other states ought to push their representatives to follow Thompson’s example. Earlier this year, he worked with other lawmakers in Baton Rouge to push through legislation that included lifetime concealed carry permits and penalizing the publication of concealed carry permit information and unlawfully sharing personal information about armed citizens. Jeff Thompson attended Northeast Louisiana University, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He worked in the private sector and was a reserve police officer with the Monroe Police Department before graduating with honors from Tulane University. He has served as president of the Bossier Parish Bar Association, and is a member of the Shreveport and Louisiana State Bar Associations.

With all of those accomplishments, he is now facing the new challenge of defending Second Amendment rights in Louisiana with the “Defend Louisiana” project. For his work, he is CCRKBA’s January 2014 Defender of the Month.

When he announced the effort, he issued a statement noting, “We fully intend to give residents a united and strong voice in the defense of their rights and the protection of their families. We’re showing our commitment to reform by doing more than just talking, we’re presenting bold solutions that increase safety while maintaining our fundamental rights. In the coming weeks and months there will be a lot of discussion regarding guns. We need to make certain our children realize guns can be dangerous and that we educate people about responsible ownership and use of firearms.”