Beside a urinal and bin of used paper towels, an assault rifle was photographed leaning against a tiled bathroom wall in an image that spread quickly across the internet.
The M4 carbine was issued to a Louisiana National Guardsman who left it in a New Orleans bathroom this week. The weapon has since been recovered, according to a spokeswoman for the Louisiana National Guard.
The rifle was left in a Bourbon Street bathroom on Sunday, Feb. 8 and recovered the same day, Lt. Col. Noel Collins confirmed on Thursday in a statement to Military Times.
“The soldier and incident are being handled internally and the incident is under investigation,” she said.
The guardsman left the rifle in the bathroom of Lafitte Hotel and Bar, a historic inn located in the city’s French Quarter.
The person who posted the image on Reddit captioned the image, “The police are now involved but I waited for a National Guard guy to use the bathroom and then after I entered I found this assault rifle.”
The New Orleans Police Department deferred all questions to the Louisiana National Guard.
Service members are required to maintain accountability of their weapons at all times. Losing a weapon can trigger administrative consequences or re-training.
Around 350 Louisiana National Guardsmen were mobilized last December under federal Title 32 status until the end of February this year to support local law enforcement in the French Quarter for major events like New Year’s Eve, the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras, the Louisiana Guard reported in a press release.
Under Title 32 status, guardsmen remain under state control but are federally funded.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.