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Efforts Underway to Ease Gun Restrictions in Arkansas, Despite Top Ranking for Weakest Gun Laws

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
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On Monday, legislators with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) considered allowing gun owners to carry their firearm at bus stops, the state capitol and public colleges.

Arkansas state lawmakers are working on potential future bills that would ease some gun control regulations now in place. On Monday, legislators with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) considered allowing gun owners to carry their firearm at bus stops, the state capitol and public colleges. The potential gun measures would also make it more difficult for cities and counties to pass their own regulations.
The committee passed a motion to go back and reword a few sections of the bills. This included sections on guns in cars in parking lots at churches, schools and daycares.

Death rates per 100,000 population, 2022
Death rates per 100,000 population, 2022

Arkansas is a constitutional carry state, which means a license is not required for residents to carry a firearm, whether it be openly or concealed. As Daniel Breen, with Little Rock Public Radio reports, other proposals would treat some concealed-carry violations similar to traffic offenses instead of misdemeanors or felonies. The next legislative session begins January 13.

Yet, critics of easing gun control laws point to the latest ranking from the non-profit organization Everytown For Gun Safety, founded by former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The agency advocates for gun control and against gun violence. It now ranks Arkansas #50 in the country for gun law strength in 2024, down from #49 last year, and has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the country. Everytown states that, “Despite the state’s high rate of violence, legislators acted in 2021 to dismantle the only remaining foundational gun law by repealing the concealed carry permitting requirement.”

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, and a graduate of the University of Washington, Jeff began his on-air broadcasting career 33 years ago in the Black Hills of South Dakota as a general assignment reporter.
Daniel Breen is a Little Rock-based reporter, anchor and producer and currently serves as News Director of Little Rock Public Radio.