Governor ‘open’ to red-flag law on guns

Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday he would be “open” to supporting legislation creating judicial orders to temporarily seize firearms from people deemed a risk to themselves or others, as a way of reducing gun violence in Arkansas.

The governor’s comments came in reaction to an investigation by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which found more than 8,000 people were killed by gunfire in the state between 1999 and 2016, a per-capita rate ranking seventh-worst in the nation.

The newspaper also examined several model laws touted by researchers and advocates and enacted in states with lower rates of gun violence.

Asked to respond to the report, Hutchinson, a Republican, said entering state-level information into a federal background check system and helping federal authorities crack down on felons in possession of weapons are two practices that could have a positive impact on gun violence.

He singled out as a possible solution so-called redflag laws, or temporary orders for the confiscation of guns from at-risk people.

“It has to be accompanied by due process. It has to be, because you’re dealing with constitutional rights and liberties,” Hutchinson said. “It’s fair to look at it … that could be a debate in the next session of the Legislature.”

Red-flag laws were the only proposals examined by the newspaper that have gained traction ahead of the next general session, which starts in January. Two Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Greg Leding of Fayetteville and Sen. Will Bond of Little Rock, have drafted such a proposal.

More than a dozen states have passed such a law, including Indiana, a state governed by Republicans.

“Most everyone we’ve talked to has expressed an open mind. They want to see the details,” Leding said Wednesday, adding that he had yet to send a draft to the governor.

“I’m encouraged that the governor is willing to look at it,” Leding said.

Senate President Pro Tempore-elect Jim Hendren, R-Sulphur Springs, and House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, said they had yet to review the draft for a red-flag law, and like the governor, wanted to review specifics of the plan.

Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, attended a Wednesday morning news conference at which Hutchinson spoke on an economic development matter. Afterward, Garner said he would oppose Bond and Leding’s proposal. In an interview earlier this year, Garner said he would consider supporting a redflag law, depending on who sponsored the legislation.

“I strongly disagree with the legislation that Democrats Will Bond and Greg Leding have proposed,” Garner said. “It denies due process.”

Information for this article was contributed by Ginny Monk of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Ryan Tarinelli for the Democrat-Gazette.