Our View

Our View

Enhanced carry law will make law-abiding Arkansans safer

Well, it is now official and sometime this month Arkansas State Police will fire up the state’s new and debated enhanced carry program, that permit holders who complete the eight-hour course will be allowed to carry on previously prohibited public property such as the state’s colleges and universities. As hard as they tried, opponents repeatedly failed to convince lawmakers that students, professors or staff carrying a gun on campus would create a dangerous situation even though they might deter a shooter intent on going on a killing spree as we’re all familiar with.

While the program is now set to begin, there remains some issues that still need to be addressed.

For instance, there are some of the over 1,000 certified concealed carry instructors in Arkansas who are objecting to being required to teach both the enhanced class as well as the regularly carry-concealed course. We’re told there are some instructors who are simply giving up their teaching certification altogether simply because they don’t want to be forced to teach both courses.

As it currently stands, the law does not allow the instructors to choose, which we believe can and should be addressed when lawmakers convene during their upcoming fiscal session.

On the other hand, some of the instructors say the like the bill because potentially it could weed out some of the 1,100 that are out there simply handing out licenses with no required training.

Another issues that has caused considerable debate among lawmakers and opponents of the law is the belief these enhanced-carry permit holders can bring their weapons into the campus dorms. The way the law reads is that enhanced carry holders cannot store the gun there but can keep it within arms reach.

While it has been made perfectly clear that after all the motions, sub motions and a lot of confusion, that neither the lawmakers serving on this legislative council nor the Arkansas State Police can amend the law and that these two issues will have to be acted upon by all lawmakers when they meet in the fiscal session. It will only require two-thirds support to make the changes.

Under the current rules, instructors will have six months to pass an exam in order to offer the enhanced training, and we believe there will be many of the 225,000 concealed handgun license holders in Arkansas wanting the opportunity to carry their weapons in places they are currently restricted from doing.

We’ve pointed out many times the number of serious incidents related to criminals illegally using guns in the commission of a crime where citizens authorized to carry a gun legally stepped up to the plate and took action well before law enforcement could arrive.

The plain and simple fact is that these anti-gun advocates need to come to realization that police can’t always prevent a crime nor can they always respond to a serious situation in time to save an innocent life.