House committee hits snag on no-permit gun carrying

An attempt to seek clarity on the legality of carrying firearms without a permit in Arkansas ended with confusion and no action in a House committee Thursday morning.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee attempted to adopt a resolution Arkansas is a “constitutional carry” state where residents can carry firearms, either concealed or in the open, without any permit.

The debate over constitutional — or permitless — carry in Arkansas has led to divided opinions among prosecutors, Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. Rutledge and Hutchinson, both attorneys, have said they believe gun owners are allowed to carry their weapons without permits.

The resolution considered Wednesday wouldn’t carry any legal weight, a point Democrats quickly jumped on.

“We are not judges,” said House Minority Leader Charles Blake, D-Little Rock. “We are sent here to make law, to pass law, to put up ideas that can go forward to be laws.

“If you want to run a constitutional carry bill, you should run a bill,” Blake said.

The sponsor of House Resolution 1013 — Rep. Brandt Smith, R-Jonesboro — said his intent was to get lawmakers “around the table” to discuss the status of open carry.

The matter was debated roughly 45 minutes.

Faced with a long list of residents who had signed up to speak for and against the resolution, and only a few minutes to go before lawmakers were to meet on the House floor, several Republicans on the committee called for immediate consideration of the resolution.

That sparked confusion, when several members said they weren’t sure if they were being asked to vote on the motion for consideration or the resolution itself.

A roll call on the motion to give immediate consideration to the resolution failed. Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, R-Paragould, and several other members said they didn’t want to cut short the public’s chance to comment.

The committee then adjourned, delaying action until at least next week.