Last week, House Bill 1249, the employee campus carry bill introduced by state Representative Charlie Collins, was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee. NRA and the bill sponsors worked to make important improvements to this legislation, but public college and university representatives were unwilling to accept our changes. After being amended on the Senate floor and in the Senate Judiciary committee, HB 1249 now includes an excessive 16 hour training requirement, a patchwork of prohibited places and an arbitrary campus carry age limit of 25. As amended, NRA does not support HB 1249.
However, state Senator Linda Collins-Smith has filed an NRA-supported amendment that would strip the unnecessary additional training mandate and the unacceptable age restriction from HB 1249, making it a true campus carry bill. Please contact your state Senator TODAY and urge them to support Senator Collins-Smith’s amendment!
Click the “Take Action” button below to contact your state Senator!
Our goal is to make public college and university campuses safer by removing restrictions on law-abiding citizens carrying firearms on those campuses. Rest assured, we will be back every year until the legislature passes and governor signs a true campus carry bill that doesn’t impose excessive training requirements or place arbitrary age restrictions on who can protect themselves on college and university campuses in Arkansas. Whether they are employees, students, or visitors, those who have already gone through the process of obtaining an Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry License (CHCL), which requires taking a course in the safe handling of firearms, should be trusted to act as safely and responsibly on public college and university campuses as they do throughout the rest of Arkansas.
Again, it is vital that you click the “Take Action” button to contact your state Senator and urge them to support Senator Collins-Smith’s amendment to HB 1249!
More Like This From Around The NRA
