The Traveler

Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Craig Hacker - Wichita Eagle/MCT A bill has been introduced in the Arkansas Legislature to legalize the open carry of handguns. Arkansas is currently one of six states in the nation that does not allow open carry.

With the controversial petition garnering 1,830 signatures, a bill has been filed in the Arkansas Legislature to legalize the open carry of handguns throughout the state.

House Bill 2184, introduced by Rep. Mark Martin of Prairie Grove, would allow a person to carry a handgun in plain sight on his or her person or in his or her vehicle for the purpose of self defense. The bill would make carrying a weapon an offense only if the person's purpose were to use it against another in situations not in self-defense.

Arkansas is one of few states that does not allow the open carry of handguns, Martin said. Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina and New York are the only states that prohibit the open carry of firearms, though California and Illinois allow open carry in rural areas, according to OpenCarry.org.

Many Southern states prohibit the open carry of handguns because of laws passed after the Civil War that were meant to keep guns out of the hands of African Americans, Martin said. The Legal Center Against Gun Violence has found that 19 states, including Arkansas, have at least some restrictions on the open carrying of handguns, said Laura Cutilletta, staff attorney for the center.

"The Constitution states that we have the right to keep and bare arms," said Brian Martin, who began the petition for open carry in Arkansas. "Also, it is a crime deterrent."

The bill should get quite a bit of support in the Legislature, Mark Martin said. A poll taken last year found that about 60 percent of Arkansans would support the law, Brian Martin said. Those interested in Brian Martin's organization, Arkansas Open Carry, may visit its Web site at Arkansascarry.com.

Lindsley Smith, state representative from Fayetteville and UA professor, said she doesn't think the bill has much support in the Legislature. Smith, a member of the Judiciary Committee, will vote against the bill and said she thinks most members of the panel will, as well.

"I expect it will die in committee," Smith said.

Continued...

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