LITTLE ROCK – The National Rifle Association on Thursday said it backs an effort to expand an Arkansas campus guns bill to allow anyone with a concealed handgun license to carry a gun on a college campus and remove an active shooter training requirement for people who want to participate.
The group said it supports the amendment to the campus guns bill, which currently would allow anyone 25 and older to carry on a college campus if they have a concealed handgun license and have undergone up to 16 hours of active shooter training. The NRA a day earlier dropped its support for the campus guns measure after the age and training restrictions were added.
“It nails exactly what we’re looking for for a true campus carry bill, which is removing restrictions on all law-abiding permit holders,” Anthony Roulette, Arkansas state liaison for the NRA, told reporters.
NRA had supported an initial, House-backed version of the campus guns proposal that would have required colleges and universities to allow faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns on campus. A 2013 law leaves that decision up to the schools, but none have opted to do so.
The training and age requirements in the bill were added through a compromise between lawmakers and Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson earlier this week. The deal was struck after the Senate tacked a minimum of 16 hours of training for employees who want to carry on campus, a move opposed by the campus carry supporters. Backers of the measure said the proposed change could threaten that compromise.
“Her amendment would probably complicate some people’s votes in the long run,” Republican Sen. Trent Garner said.
The Senate rejected an effort by Republican Sen. Linda Collins-Smith, who proposed the amendment, to send the bill back to committee to consider her proposal. Collins-Smith open the possibility she’ll ask the full Senate to consider adding her amendment.
The proposal also removes some exemptions in the bill for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the Clinton School of Public Service, which is located next to former President Bill Clinton’s library and museum in Little Rock.
The campus guns bill faces opposition from higher education officials, including the heads of the state’s largest university systems, who say the decision on should remain with the schools. Opponents have also said allowing concealed guns would create a dangerous situation for police on campus.
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