For the most part, Arkansas has pretty decent gun laws. You don't need a permit to carry so long as you can legally own a gun, and there are no silly gun rationing laws or bans on popular firearms. The biggest problem area for gun owners are the number of "gun free zones" where concealed carry isn't allowed,; which include all state offices and government buildings, places where alcohol is sold to be consumed on the premises, and even houses of worship (unless someone has permission from the property owner).
Col. Mike Hagar, who heads the Arkansas State Police, would like to see at least one of those "gun-free zones" disappear. Speaking to a legislative committee this week, Hagar said the state should make it easier to bear arms in state parks.
"Unfortunately, we do deal with bad people who have weapons. The more good people we have with weapons, the better off we are," Hagar said.
Hagar's comments came hours ofter Andrew James McGann, 28, pleaded innocent in Washington County to two counts of capital murder following the deaths of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41.
Currently, firearms are generally barred in Arkansas state parks, with a few exceptions. Hagar said law enforcement can work without those restrictions, because officers are trained to deal with people with firearms.
"There's a certain amount of apprehension in Arkansas about going into a bedroom window when you know that person may have a firearm," Hagar said.
The Brinks were stabbed to death while hiking with two of their daughters on a trail at Devil's Den, a state park near West Fork, on July 26, according to State Police. The girls, ages 7 and 9, were not injured.
The attack happened about a half-mile down a trail at Devil's Den.
McGann had moved from Oklahoma to teach in the Springdale School District for the coming year. Superintendent Jared Cleveland said McGann had not yet started working at the time of his arrest. Prosecutors in Washington County said they'll seek a death sentence if McGann is convicted.
Technically, it's not illegal to carry on the grounds of state parks, but it is a crime to carry in any buildings located on park grounds, including visitor centers. A 2003 directive from the state Department of Parks and Tourism also prohibits the "display" of firearms, which would appear to violate the state's open carry law, but I'm not aware of any legal challenge to that rule.
Hagar told lawmakers that he was speaking in a personal capacity, and his views weren't necessarily representative of the Arkansas State Police, but his recommendation will hopefully carry some weight with legislators. I'd like to see the ban on lawful carry in government buildings disappear altogether, but at the very least those facilities that are sensitive in name only should be open to folks legally exercising their right to bear arms.
There are no magnetometers or armed guards stationed at every building on the premises of state parks, so why are they deemed "sensitive" locations? Lawmakers also need to take a look at that 2003 directive from Parks and Tourism, and if rescinding the ban on the open display of firearms is beyond their purview then Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders should issue a directive of her own instructing the department to make sure its policies align with state law.
Hagar is right that the more good people we have exercising their Second Amendment rights, the better. That won't stop every crime from occuring, but it will at least give those folks a fighting chance at survival when they're attacked by violent predators... whether on a busy Little Rock boulevard or the rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains.
Editor’s Note: Shall not be infringed means exactly what it says, and Second Amendment advocates are fighting every day to strenthen our right to keep and bear arms.
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