After endorsing legislation Tuesday to allow licensed and trained gun owners to carry at a host of public places, including the state Capitol, a panel of House lawmakers decided against exempting themselves from the proposed training requirements.
House Bill 1249 left the House last month as a bill on carrying weapons on public college campuses and it came back to the House for approval of Senate amendments to extend carry rights to people at bars, courtrooms and public buildings. On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved the latest version of the bill with a voice vote.
The bill, by Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, now goes to the full House for consideration.
Included in the Senate amendments is a new requirement that concealed-carry license holders must receive up to eight hours of additional active shooter training in order to be allowed to carry guns at previously prohibited locations, including the Capitol.
During a public comment period on HB1249, committee members heard from gun-control advocates, who objected to allowing handguns in public facilities, and from proponents of concealed carry, who argued the added training requirement was just another state-imposed burden.
Then, after approving HB1249, the committee was presented with legislation, House Bill 1864, from Rep. Mickey Gates, R-Hot Springs, that would specifically allow members of the General Assembly to carry in public buildings, whether or not they have extra training.
Approving such a measure would not look good, argued some on the committee. They asked that the bill be pulled down from consideration.
"We just imposed a training requirement on ourselves, and now we'd turn around and exempt that," said Rep. Doug House, R-North Little Rock.
Gates, who is not on the House Judiciary Committee, said he would feel "safer" sitting next to lawmakers carrying guns in the chamber, but did not object to a request from the committee to hold off on HB1864.
Gates also pitched to the committee a second proposal, House Bill 1895, which would allow any government employee with a license to carry a concealed weapon into county-owned buildings, again regardless of the extra training proposal. The committee voted against the measure.
The committee has the ability to consider both bills again, but Gates suggested he would take another look at HB1249 to make sure his measures do not conflict with it.
No new amendments were added to HB1249, which could head to the desk of Gov. Asa Hutchinson by the end of this week with approval by the House.
A Section on 03/15/2017