1 of 4 | Governor of Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson stands on the floor of the NYSE at the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in New York City on January 11, 2016. U.S. oil prices dropped below $32 a barrel Monday for the first time since 2003. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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March 23 (UPI) -- Starting in January, the person sitting next to you at Arkansas' Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium could be legally armed with a deadly weapon.
On Wednesday, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed House Bill 1249 into Act 562. The bill allows a person to carry a concealed handgun into buildings at a public university or college. It amends a subsection which previously only allowed law enforcement officers, security guards, agencies of the state, city, or county, or federal military personnel to posses loaded firearms or other deadly weapons in any publicly owned building or facility or on State Capitol grounds.
Under the new law, a person can carry or posses a firearm or other deadly weapon in those areas, including college football stadiums, if they complete the required training and receive a concealed carry endorsement. The training course required is up to eight hours long, according to reports. Arkansas State Police will make rules to design the training program within 120 days of Sept. 1. Police will coordinate with universities, campus law enforcement, and public institutions to design the program.
"It's going to be [a] much more limited population, but they will be trained and obviously they will be trained in active-shooter circumstances, how to coordinate with law enforcement and when that is done, I am convinced the public will be more safe. We will have more safety in our institutions and our public spaces," Gov. Hutchinson told Arkansas Online.
The original bill required state institutions to allow faculty to conceal carry while on campus. After House and Senate opposition, Rep. Charlie Collins' bill witnessed some alterations.
Students can also conceal carry on campus. Concealed weapons can also be carried into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, unless those establishments post a sign at the door barring the practice.
The law officially goes into effect on Sept. 1.
"I`ve consistently recognized that there is first of all a second amendment privilege but also a security and safety benefit from firearms by people who are properly trained," Gov. Hutchinson told 5 News KFSM.
Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, voted against the measure. He also told Arkansas Online that it is "ridiculous" to allow people with loaded firearms into Arkansas football games.
"I don't know why you can't take an umbrella into the stadium, but you can take loaded guns," Leding told Arkansas Online.
Colleges also under the umbrella include: Arkansas State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Central Arkansas. The associated conferences have yet to comment on stadium policy alterations. The Southeastern Conference recently implemented a clear bag policy at all of its football games.
"SEC football stadiums are among the largest venues in the world of sports, so safety and security are issues that must always remain a priority for our events," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "We believe this policy is an important enhancement to the security measures already put in place by our institutions."
Concealed weapons are still prohibited in K-12 schools, courtrooms, and prisons. The new bill also prohibits such weapons from disciplinary hearings on campus. Private universities and colleges that don't wish to allow the weapons on campus must provide notices adhering to that designation.
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium has a capacity of 72,000. The stadium started selling alcohol to its fans in 2014.
