In Arkansas, guns can be carried in most state and city parks. That’s the word from the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. Assistant A.G. Justin Hughes authored the eight-page legal opinion. It followed questions submitted by Arkansas State Representative Sonia Barker, R-Smackover, just north of El Dorado in southern Arkansas. Barker did so as a member of the Game and Fish/State Police Subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council. The legal opinion means the right of “unlicensed constitutional carry,” also known as “permitless carry” of a firearm, whether it be concealed or open, is allowed in 47 Arkansas state parks, among many other public locations. But the ban remains in place for the 5 parks overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, along with all the well-known gun-free zones. Those have not changed.
The law stipulates that residents and non-residents alike are covered by the permitless carry provision in Arkansas gun laws. The permitless gun right does not extend to entering any state or city-owned buildings, even at those parks, and even during sport events. The legal opinion did not, however, settle the question of whether permitless carry is allowed at the Little Rock Zoo, inside War Memorial Park.
