Arkansas lawmakers approved a revised bill Wednesday that seeks to forestall federal gun restrictions after the governor, law enforcement, and prosecutors objected that a previous proposal might threaten public safety.
Any federal gun restrictions enacted on or after Jan. 1 that violate the Constitutional right to bear arms are invalid, according to the bill.
The state House voted 79-20 along partisan lines to send the legislation to Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson following approval from the Senate, which approved the measure 26-6, mostly along party lines. One Democratic senator supported the legislation.
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Many GOP-led states have been pushing for legislation to block federal gun restrictions due to concerns of gun control measures under President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We are a country based on freedom, and when our freedoms are threatened, we must take action through the tools within our U.S. Constitution and our Arkansas constitution to protect those freedoms,” Republican state Sen. Missy Irvin, a bill sponsor, said.
The revised measure prohibits state or local officials from enforcing any federal restrictions that contradict the state constitution’s right to bear arms or any additional state law.
If elected officials violate the prohibition, they could be charged with an unclassified misdemeanor, and law enforcement personnel could lose their certification.
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The measure does not bar cooperation with federal authorities if the main reason is not investigating or enforcing new federal gun restrictions.
