A Louisiana National Guard soldier was reportedly ordered to undergo “retraining” after leaving behind their M4 rifle inside a Bourbon Street hotel bathroom earlier this month.
The National Guard confirmed the incident on Feb. 9 after a picture of the M4 rifle next to a bathroom urinal began circulating on social media. Several news sources have reported that the rifle was mistakenly left inside the bathroom of Lafitte Hotel and Bar in the 1000 block of Bourbon Street.
The person who allegedly took the picture uploaded it to Reddit, saying in their Feb. 9 post that they “waited for a National Guard guy to use the bathroom and then after i entered i found this assault rifle.”
The Reddit user, identified as “awyastark,” described themselves as a tour guide was on a bar stop and waited at least 10 minutes for the guardsman to finish up before stumbling upon the unattended weapon.
“Technically staff bathroom,” the Reddit post said. “I’m a tour guide so they’ll let me use it, part of why I was willing to wait for ten minutes during our bar stop. However it seemed like a long time to spend on the pot so I can’t help but think that whatever they were up to in there had to do with being scatterbrained enough to leave a FUCKING ASSAULT RIFLE BEHIND (sorry but I’m still so unsettled by this).”
Military news website Task & Purpose cited Louisiana National Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Noel Collins, who said the solder was temporarily removed from his duty in the French Quarter and ordered to undergo retraining while the incident is investigated.
In December, the Louisiana National Guard mobilized approximately 350 soldiers in New Orleans to assist law enforcement during high profile events, such as the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras. Soldiers are scheduled to leave on Feb. 28.
Many soldiers, along with state and local police, are stationed in the French Quarter Enhanced Security Zone, a temporary zone which spans from Canal Street to St. Ann Street, in between Royal and Dauphine Streets.
Anyone entering the FQESZ is prohibited from bringing backpack coolers and ice chests into the area, and anyone refusing a search will be denied entry into the zone.
Added security measures in the French Quarter have been in place since Jan. 1, 2025, when 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar barreled down Bourbon Street and killed 14 people with his truck in what the FBI later determined to be a terrorist attack.