SENATE ADDS age, training to campus guns bill.

Spokesman: NRA pulls its support

The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday amended legislation allowing any Arkansan who is at least age 25, has a permit and undergone up to 16 hours of active-shooter training to carry concealed weapons on public college campuses.

The original version of the bill contained no training or age limit, and applied only to faculty and staff members who had permits to carry concealed weapons in Arkansas.

Wednesday’s action led a spokesman for the National Rifle Association to declare the group won’t support the amended legislation.

The Senate, voting 21-10, adopted an amendment by Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, to House Bill 1249. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville. Adding the amendment was recommended Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Will Bond, D-Little Rock, warned senators the average age of people on some campuses is 28.

“You are arming college students on college campuses,” he said.

Collins said that under HB1249, thousands of people on Arkansas public

college campuses would be able to get the weapon training, which would deter “bad guys.”

“To me, that moves us tremendously forward,” he said.

NRA spokesman Lars Daleside said Wednesday, “Our goal is to make public college and university campuses safer by removing the needless constraints placed upon law-abiding citizens who wish to carry on campus.”

“Unless House Bill 1249 is amended to reflect a true campus carry bill, one without excessive mandates and needless restrictions, the National Rifle Association will not support it,” he said in a statement.

Collins said the NRA’s ideal legislation would be to allow 21-year-olds with concealed-carry permits to take handguns on campus without additional training.

“I understand they want it perfect in their eyes,” he said. “For me, first and foremost, this for the people of Arkansas, and that’s what I am focused on.”

Under a 2013 law, colleges can decide to allow staff members who have the necessary permits to carry their weapons on campus. However, no public colleges have chosen to allow weapons on campus. College administrators, as well as campus and city police departments, have largely opposed HB1249.

Garner said Monday his amendment is “a compromise” between him; Collins; Gov. Asa Hutchinson; Senate Republican leader Jim Hendren of Sulphur Springs; Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jeremy Hutchinson, R-Little Rock; and others. Gov. Hutchinson is the uncle of Sen. Hutchinson and Hendren.

Under the bill, weapons

would be allowed in buildings and on the grounds of public universities, colleges or community colleges. The Arkansas State Police director would approve the training.

Also Wednesday, the Senate adopted another Garner amendment to specify the active-shooter training program “may” — rather than is required to — be offered by all training instructors and at all concealed-carry training courses.

The bill would require the governing boards of campuses near public hospitals and the Clinton Presidential Center to adopt policies banning concealed carry, if they wish to remain gun-free. The proposal would offer an automatic exemption for day-care and child-care centers on campus, and at grievance and disciplinary hearings.

Under the bill, weapons would be allowed in buildings and on the grounds of public universities, colleges or community colleges.