Firearms equipped for silent discharge would not be considered a prohibited weapon under a bill that was advanced by a legislative committee Tuesday.
Senate Bill 400 -- sponsored by Sen. Bob Ballinger, R-Hindsville, and Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado -- would not affect silencers or weapons governed by the National Firearms Act.
Ballinger told the Senate Committee on City, County, and Local Affairs that "thousands of people in Arkansas" currently own suppressors. Silencers are allowed by federal law after passing a background check.
[RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]
He called SB400 a "clean-up bill" that eliminates the "ubiquitous" language in current state law.
SB400 removes "a firearm that has been specially made or specially adapted for silent discharge" from the language of Arkansas Code Annotated 5-73-104, which also lists the bomb, machine gun, sawed-off shotgun or rifle and metal knuckles as prohibited weapons.
Sen. Stephanie Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, told the committee that she was concerned about removing the silencer from the law.
"This puts law enforcement at a disadvantage if there's an active shooting and you don't know where the bullet comes from," Flowers said.
-- Jeannie Roberts