Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Preemption of Local Laws in Arkansas.’ Other Laws & Policies. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 25 April
Relevant contents
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]
Local Authority to Regulate Firearms in Arkansas
Arkansas Code Annotated §§ 14-54-1411(b)(1) (regulating municipalities) and 14-16-504(b)(1) (regulating counties) provide:
(A) A local unit of government shall not enact any ordinance or regulation pertaining to, or regulate in any other manner, the ownership, transfer, transportation, carrying, or possession of firearms, ammunition for firearms, or components of firearms, except as otherwise provided in state or federal law.
(B) This shall not prevent the enactment of an ordinance regulating or forbidding the unsafe discharge of a firearm.
A "local unit of government" is defined as "a city, town, or county."
A county may also regulate the discharge of firearms at the request of the governing body of a suburban improvement district, per section 14-16-501, or a property owners' association, per section 14-16-502.
There is no case law interpreting these statutes.
Finally, in regard to the local regulation of shooting ranges, section 14-1-101 requires that when a local government enacts an ordinance affecting an existing sports shooting range in the jurisdiction, the range must be allowed to continue operation even if it does not comply with the new ordinance. In addition, a local government may not prohibit a shooting range that was in existence on or before August 12, 2005, from performing certain repairs, remodeling, expanding or enhancing its membership, facilities or activities…