Statement on Concealed Carry Laws

There will be changes coming to campus later this year as Act 562 and Act 859 become law and are implemented. These pieces of legislation expand Arkansas’s concealed carry laws to include public colleges and universities.

Act 562 and Act 859 become law on Sept. 1. However, the Arkansas State Police is still building the training and permit infrastructure required for those laws to be implemented on public college and university campuses in Arkansas. Under the law, concealed weapons may be carried on campus only if a person is over 21 (generally), has an Arkansas concealed handgun permit and has completed additional training of up to eight hours, as specified by the Arkansas State Police, to receive an enhanced concealed carry permit.

The legislature tasked the Arkansas State Police with developing the enhanced certification training program within 120 days after Sept. 1. Concealed handguns cannot be carried on campus until that enhanced certification process is available and licensed concealed carry holders complete the program. We will inform the campus when that process is complete and before implementation of those laws begins.

In the interim, we’ve developed a new online resource to help answer your questions and better explain the new concealed carry laws as they will apply to our campus. On safety.uark.edu, you will find details about the laws, such as who will be allowed to carry concealed weapons and where they can be carried and stored. There are detailed FAQs for students, faculty and staff and visitors as well as links to the laws themselves and UA System guidance.  We will also notify the campus of any additional policies or guidance that may be issued in this area.

Many of you have sent in questions that have been very helpful as we developed safety.uark.edu to explain the details of these laws. If there are questions about the laws not answered on the site, please send them to feedback@uark.edu.