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Senate committee advances bill clarifying law-enforcement officers may carry on campus
Summary
The Senate City, County & Local Affairs Committee passed Senate Bill 197, which clarifies that law-enforcement officers — on or off duty — may carry firearms anywhere in Arkansas not otherwise prohibited by federal law; the sponsor said the bill arose after a Little Rock officer in uniform was told he could not bring his weapon into a University of Arkansas Little Rock law class.
Senator Ballinger introduced Senate Bill 197 and described it as a "fairly simple" cleanup measure aimed at clarifying that a law-enforcement officer, whether on or off duty, may carry a firearm anywhere in the state that is not otherwise barred by federal law.
Ballinger said the bill was prompted by an incident in which "the school felt uncomfortable with him having the firearm" when a Little Rock police officer came straight from duty to class at the University of Arkansas Little Rock School of Law. He said the bill does not change the law's substance but provides clarity to institutions and officers.
The bill also adds limited court discretion for courtroom situations and requires officers who are carrying to show identification to verify their status when necessary, Ballinger said. "In fact, I think that this would not... doesn't really change the law, but it does provide some clarification for the law," he said during his explanation.
Senator Clark asked for confirmation of the school involved; Ballinger reiterated the University of Arkansas Little Rock School of Law was the site of the incident and said some campus officials had interpreted ‘‘enhanced carry’’ changes as altering officer authority. "This just provides clarity that that's not the case," Ballinger said, adding that many lawmakers support having trained officers on campuses.
Senator Rausch raised a constitutional-framing concern and asked whether clarifying exceptions could be seen as discriminatory. "Some feel this could be discriminatory against other people," Rausch said. Ballinger responded that the measure addresses law-enforcement officers specifically and preserves other statutory prohibitions.
After brief discussion and no public testimony, the committee moved and seconded a motion to pass the bill; the measure passed by voice vote (tally not specified). The sponsor thanked the committee for its support. The bill will proceed to the next step in the legislative process.
