Gun laws in Arkansas regulate the sale, possession, and use of

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s and

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

in the state of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

in the United States.

Summary table

Arkansas gun laws

Automatic weapons must be registered with the Arkansas secretary of state, in addition to being registered under federal law. Some counties have adopted

Second Amendment sanctuary Second Amendment sanctuary, also known as a gun sanctuary, refers to states, counties, or localities in the United States that have adopted laws or resolutions to prohibit or impede the enforcement of certain gun control measures which are perc ...

resolutions and a statewide law was adopted on April 29, 2021.

Open and Concealed Carry

As of August 16, 2013 permits are no longer required to concealed carry a handgun. However, there was some confusion over the legality of permitless carry in Arkansas. For concealed carry, Arkansas still offers CCW permits on a "shall issue" basis. Open carry of handguns is legal by a simple reading of the law, yet some Arkansas states officials denied that it was legal. Applicants must pass a background check and complete a training course to receive a new or renewal concealed carry license. An existing license is suspended or revoked if the license holder is arrested for a felony or for any violent act, becomes ineligible due to mental health treatment, or for a number of other reasons. Concealed firearms may not be carried in a courthouse, meeting place of any government entity, athletic event, places of higher education, or in a number of other places. On October 17, 2018, the