Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘State Right to Bear Arms in Arkansas.’ Other Laws & Policies. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 26 April
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[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]
State Right to Bear Arms in Arkansas
Article II, § 5 of the Arkansas Constitution states: "The citizens of this State shall have the right to keep and bear arms, for their common defense."
Several Supreme Court of Arkansas decisions have rejected Art. II, § 5 challenges to firearms regulations.
Most recently, in Jones v. City of Little Rock, the Supreme Court of Arkansas held that Arkansas Code Annotated § 5-73-120, regulating the possession of a handgun in a vehicle, did not violate the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. While appellant did not raise an Art. II, § 5 challenge to the statute, the court nevertheless emphasized that "[l]ong ago we made it clear that [Arkansas] may, as a matter of its police power, place appropriate restrictions on one's right to bear arms."…