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Committee approves cleanup narrowing certain firearm-location prohibitions; cities and covenants remain relevant
Summary
Senate Bill 357, described by the sponsor as a cleanup measure, removes certain codified restricted locations for carrying center‑fire weapons where enforcement is impractical; the committee adopted an amendment adding cosponsors, heard a short public comment in favor, and passed the bill as amended.
Senate Bill 357, presented to the City, County & Local Affairs Committee and described by its sponsor as a cleanup measure, was amended to add cosponsors and passed by the committee on Thursday.
Sponsor Senator Ballinger told members the bill removes numerous codified locations where a person could be fined for carrying a center‑fire weapon and said in practice enforcement of those location-based restrictions was difficult without detailed maps or guidance. "This bill is actually really, really simple," Ballinger said. "All it does, it just get rid of a bunch of code."
During questioning, members asked whether private covenants or municipal ordinances (for example, in areas such as the former Bella Vista Village) could continue to restrict firearm discharge. Ballinger responded that covenants and city ordinances may still impose limits: "If you put covenant saying... that's what we want done with our property," he said, explaining that private covenants and municipal ordinances operate independently of the state statute unless explicitly overridden.
A member of the public, Paul Calvert, addressed the committee in support and urged members to vote yes. The committee adopted the sponsor's cosponsor-amendment and later passed SB 357 as amended by voice vote. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally or an implementation timetable, and it does not specify whether any state agencies would have new enforcement duties as a result of the change.
The measure, as discussed in committee, focuses on statutory cleanup rather than creating new authorized carry privileges; local covenants or municipal ordinances may still regulate firearm-related conduct within their jurisdictions.
