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Committee clears bill to clarify enhanced concealed-carry rules; tourism and venues warn of business impacts
Summary
Senate Bill 660, a package of clarifications to Arkansas' enhanced concealed-carry law, passed committee as amended. Supporters said it restores intent for carrying in some public buildings and allows dorm-room storage; convention and arena officials warned removing signage authority could reduce bookings and force taxpayer support of venues.
Senate Bill 660 was amended and adopted in committee. The sponsor described the bill as a series of clarifications and fixes to Arkansas' enhanced-concealed-carry regime, including clarifying that publicly owned buildings such as local government facilities were intended to allow enhanced-permit carriers to carry, providing for secure dorm-room storage for permit-holders, permitting boards and commission members to carry inside meetings, and narrowing a rule so that only the location serving alcohol (not an entire facility) is excluded.
Venue and tourism concerns: Gretchen Hall, president and CEO of the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Section 9 would remove the bureau's ability "to post signage that prohibits firearms inside our facilities," a tool she said provides comfort to leaseholders and helps secure bookings. Michael Marion, general manager of the Verizon Arena, said many shows require security measures and that the arena bought 29 walkthrough magnetometers; he warned losing the ability to restrict firearms in certain conditions could drive shows away and force taxpayer support because the arena is self-supporting.
Committee action and next steps: Committee members adopted a short amendment and passed SB 660 as amended. The bill will proceed to the floor for further consideration; venues urged the legislature to consider the economic and security trade-offs when finalizing the language.
Ending: SB 660 passed committee as amended and moves forward in the legislative process.
