Open Carry in Arkansas

The Attorney General concluded that Arkansas law allows open carry without a license: merely possessing a handgun is not the crime of carrying a weapon unless the person has a purpose to attempt to unlawfully employ it as a weapon against a person. AG opinions are not binding law.

Carrying a handgun is 'permissible' (not the crime of carrying a weapon) when the person is in his or her own automobile, and when the person is 'upon a journey' (except at airport security checkpoints and for checked baggage). The Attorney General notes that 'it is generally permissible to conceal a handgun in one's car while upon a journey without a concealed-carry license.' Concealed carry license holders may carry in a vehicle outside prohibited places.

A concealed carry license does not authorize carrying into: police, sheriff, State Police and Highway Police stations; prisons, jails and detention facilities; courthouses and county buildings used for court (a judge decides for his or her courtroom); meetings of governing bodies, the General Assembly and state offices; athletic events not related to firearms; the alcohol-serving portion of bars (restaurants excepted); school, college and university buildings and events (with exceptions, including public college parking lots with the handgun left in the vehicle and carry allowed under § 5-73-322); airport passenger terminals; churches and places of worship unless the church allows it; places where federal law bans firearms; permitted parades or demonstrations the licensee takes part in; private property posted 'carrying a handgun is prohibited' at each entrance (readable from at least ten feet); places where a private entity gives written or verbal notice; and State Police-approved firearm-sensitive areas such as the Arkansas State Hospital, UAMS and collegiate athletic events. Enhanced-license (endorsement) holders have broader access in some places.