The NRA is working with State Senator Trent Garner (R-27) and Senate Majority Leader Jim Hendren (R-2) to secure campus carry in Arkansas.
The efforts revolve around amending the state’s campus carry bill, HB 1249, so that it includes the issuance of an enhanced concealed carry permit. Holders of such a permit would be allowed to carry a gun for self-defense on public college and university campuses and in some other places in the state that currently prohibit concealed carry. Such places include “the State Capitol, and in areas of restaurants where alcohol is served.”
The NRA-ILA reports:
If amended, HB 1249 would not contain the unacceptable age restriction of being only applicable to those who are at least 25 years old. If you can qualify for the current permit, you can qualify for the enhanced permit. While additional training of up to eight hours is a component of the enhanced permit, current licensees may waive up to four hours of that training, due to the training they have already received.
Idaho adopted campus carry in 2014 based on the issuance of an enhanced carry permit. Bryan Lovell, Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputy and president of the Fraternal Order of Police, spoke in favor of the campus carry measure as it began making its way through the Idaho House. He tied campus carry to the exercise of self-defense, saying, “There are a lot of concealed carry weapons permit holders out there, and the reason they get that is because they want to protect themselves. They don’t want to be caught in a fishbowl if there is an active shooter.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.