Moving to Arkansas

[ColinthePilot]

I'm taking a 6-month trip to Little Rock next week, and I want to find out what the Laws are about carrying in the car, CCW, etc. Is my FL non-resident permit good there? I haven't had time to get a TX resident permit yet. Thanks in advance!

 

[baz]

Florida doesn't issue non-resident licenses. Florida issues only one kind of license; it just happens to issue it to non-residents. Florida's license is recognized by Arkansas. I realize some states will not recognized Florida's license when it is issued to a non-resident of Florida, but so far as I know, Arkansas is not one of them.

More here:

http://www.asp.state.ar.us/divisions/rs/rs_chl_law.html

 

[GerryM]

More here too

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

 

[SaxonPig]

According to this site: http://www.handgunlaw.us/maps/florida_map.gif Ar does indeed recognize FL permits. AR doesn't issue non-resident permits and you have to live here 6 months to apply.

I believe Ar has the "peaceful travel" law regarding a gun in the car but what constitutes "travel" hasn't been established.

The restrictions on CC in AR include gov't buildings (parking lots are OK), sporting events, bars and anyplace posted as off limits by the property owners although I only saw one business so posted and the sign came down years ago.

Also note there is zero tolerance for drinking and packing.

AR has very little in the way of gun laws beyond those associated with concealed carry. There are no limits on magazine capacity, or prohibitions on types of firearms.

I'm in Little Rock. Feel free to email me when you get here and we'll go shooting. There's a public range about 20 miles west of town and I belong to a gun club in Benton, about 22 miles to the south.

 

[FMF]

I'm also in LR and the gun laws are excellent in our state. Saxon summed it up in his post. Hope you enjoy your stay here.

 

[ColinthePilot]

Good news across the board. Thanks a lot, guys. Now I guess I need range recommendations. SaxonPig gave me a few places. I'll be living in North Little Rock. Any other ranges within, say, 20-30min drive?
And of course, any good relocation discussion would be incomplete without gun shop recommendations. I'll obviously need ammo, and I'll probably need to buy at least one new gun in the next 6 months. Thanks ahead of time for the info.

 

[Jimmie]

Fort Thompson moved out of the ghetto and onto Warden in NLR. I was in there the other day looking at shotguns. I expected their prices to be out of this world, but they actually were alright. They had a Beretta A391 for $100-$200 less than elsewhere, even online stores. The clerks were also very helpful - something I wasn't expecting.

http://www.fortthompson.net/

 

[ColinthePilot]

Also note there is zero tolerance for drinking and packing.

This is a no-brainer for me, but I was reading the actual laws and it said you can't carry in any establishment that sells alcoholic beverages. Does this include liquor stores, convenience stores, walmart, etc. They don't SERVE alcohol, but they do sell package goods. That could limit places where its legal to carry by a lot.

 

[Jimmie]

Prohibited places

Any portion of an establishment, except a restaurant as defined in § 3-9-402, licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises;

If they aren't drinking it there (bum in the parking lot with the brown bag doesn't count), then you can carry there. And if it's a restaurant, you can carry even if they are drinking there.

(8) “Restaurant” means any public or private place, without sleeping accommodations and that place:

(A) Is kept, used, maintained, advertised, and held out to the public or to a private or restricted membership as a place whose primary function and purpose is to take orders for and to serve food and food items;

(B) Actually serves full and complete meals prepared in a fully equipped and sanitary kitchen and prepared from uncooked foods for service to and for consumption by its guests or members on the premises;

(C) Has a seating capacity of at least fifty (50) people;

(D) Has employed a sufficient number and kind of employees to prepare, cook, and serve suitable foods to its guests or members;

(E) On Sundays, serves alcoholic beverages on-premises only, in conjunction with meals;

(F) Serves food on all days of operations;

(G) Maintains separate sales figures for alcoholic beverages; and

(H) Has gross sales of sixty percent (60%) or more from the sale of food, food items, and nonalcoholic beverages, or, in the case of excursion boats, has gross sales of sixty percent (60%) of their gross income from boat rental fees and sales of food and nonalcoholic beverages;

 

[grimjaw]

SaxonPig, it's now 3 months instead of 6.

I agree with the Fort Thompson recommendation. They have reasonable prices compared to other places in central Arkansas, and a good selection.

There's a pistols only range in NLR, Don's. It's $12.50/day, and I can't remember if they'll let you bring in your own targets but they do have a restriction on the types of targets you can use in their holders. Mayflower is run by the Arkansas Game and Fish commission, and apparently the biggest @#$ this side of the Mississippi acts as the range officer. Huge set of restrictions there (you can't even show up with loaded MAGAZINES in your range bag), not much use other than sighting a gun in. If you're willing to drive a little farther, you can visit other, unsupervised AGFC ranges. I'd be glad to go shooting with you, but I have an odd schedule and work weekends.

Enjoy your time if you can. Better to be here during fall/winter/spring than the summer.

jm

 

[Leanwolf]

For you Arkansas boys ... is "open carry" of a handgun legal in Arkansas? Such as when you are out in the woods, camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, etc??

Thanks.

L.W.

 

[Jimmy Dean]

I do not believe that OC is legal, unless maybe you can OC with a CCW permit, but OC w/o (like Louisiana) is illegal from what I have been able to find out.

On the travel thing, since I am not stopping overnight in AR on my trip through, is it an issue?

(BTW, when I did live in AR, I have been pulled over, and been asked if I have a gun, and never ran into any problems with it being loaded and either on the passenger seat or inside the center console, and this was without a permit

 

[Armed 24/7]

Also I just found out that the pistol range in Mayflower will be closed for at least two months for maintenance. I live just outside Conway in Vilonia, and I also work weekends, but I am off early in the afternoon, and I'm always up for going shooting...just contact me...

 

[Armed 24/7]

Also for open carry in the woods while hunting, fishing or camping, I would think that you would be in the minority if you didn't have a gun...but that's just how it is in Arkansas

 

[SaxonPig]

Well, Hell, with so many folks in Central Arkansas hanging around here how come we don't get together for some shooting? The Mayflower range is a pain with the rules and restrictions and that's why I joined the Benton Gun Club. Unlimited access and I can bring guests so lets saddle up one day and head out there.

BTW- I'd like to know more about the unsupervised AGFC ranges (AR Game and Fish Commission?). Never heard of them.

 

[Jimmy Dean]

I dont live up there anymore, but I am in north louisiana....Ill be back up around little rock after I get my degree, I hear that arkansas needs more engineers

 

[Armed 24/7]

I have never been to the Benton Gun Club, but if we can work our schedules out, I'm up for it...

 

[SaxonPig]

JD- AR is now 50th among the states for college graduates so we would appreciate your coming back.

 

[baz]

I didn't realize there were that many of us LR residents (I'm actually in Pulaski County, just outside Maumelle, near Morgan). And I didn't realize the Mayflower range was closed, which is too bad, as I was thinking about going there soon. On the prohibition against loaded magazines, they are permitted if you bring them in a separate, locked, container. So I just bring them in a locked ammo box. Otherwise, I've never thought the range rules were that oppressive.

I like Don's, but cannot shoot rifles there (except for rifles chambered in pistol caliber cartridges). There's a new indoor range up in Searcy that I've heard about that has rifle bays in it. That's a little far to drive, but worth knowing if you are in the area (and not so far to drive from locations like Jacksonville or Cabot).

I would also like to know about the "unsupervised AFGC ranges."

Update:

I just checked the Mayflower range web page, and it appears to me that only the pistol range (and maybe the skeet range) is closed until further notice, but not the rifle range. The later is all I ever use it for. If I want to go pistol shooting, I go to Don's.

Details about the Mayflower range here:

http://www.agfc.com/education-class/agfc-firing-ranges/camp-robinson.aspx

 

[John828]

Gosh darnit!!! None of ya'll got it right.

Skeet an trap is finished AND it is open.


Pistol is under renovation. When it is done, it will be done.

After that, rifle range will get redone.





AGFC--for $2 a day shoot all you want. Best deal around.

 

[gtmerkley]

You Said It

 

[grimjaw]

I would also like to know about the "unsupervised AFGC ranges."

OK.

http://www.agfc.com/hunting/misc_hunting/firing_ranges_all.aspx

I have been to Scatter Creek near Paragould. It's nice, and you can shoot out to 200 yards. Be nice and police up your brass (bring a tarp or some such). It isn't crowded this time of year, but as anyone who's from here knows, you're going to sweat.

I have also been to Peeler Gap near Danville. It has a shorter line and only 100 yards to the berm, but it's near a friend's house so it's sometimes convenient for me.

Other than that, I shoot .22s and pistols in the winter on family farm property when there aren't crops on it.

I've heard that the range in Searcy (Ozark Arms?) is nice, but not much other than that. I haven't gotten around to checking out the Benton Gun Club, but so far haven't heard any negatives. I think there's also a shooting club in Hot Springs.

AGFC--for $2 a day shoot all you want. Best deal around.

ASIDE: Best deal around HERE maybe. In Washington state, I paid $35/year, and could go whenever the range was open or more often if I was an RO, shooting anything from IPSC to 1000 yard high power matches, and plenty in between; no silly 1 round / 3 second rules; our range officers didn't have orifices so tight that coal placed therein would come out diamonds (apparently just one at Mayflower does, but he makes up for the rest), etc. The only restrictions we had in Washington at Rattlesnake were on steel jacketed/cored ammo because of the fire dangers, and then whatever state law prohibited (no class 3 in WA).

I had a guy tell me the reason the restrictions were in place at Mayflower was, "b/c they're on fed-drull pro-per-teh . . ." which is b-o-g-u-s, b/c the range in Washington state was also on federal property, managed by the Department of Energy.

Anyway, I don't go to Mayflower and it's not because I have a problem with range officers. I appreciate range supervision when you've got a set of shooters with varying levels of experience.

jm

 

[SaxonPig]

The Mayflower range is cheapa nd it's a pretty nice facility. But it is closed on holidays 9that's when I shoot), you can't shoot human silhouette targets, and no rapid fire. Also, the last time I was there the sign clearly said no loaded magazines may be carried onto the property (regardless of storage). And you get there and the range guy (Jerry, I think?) demands to examine all of your guns before you go to the shooting line.

Too many restrictions and impositions for my taste. Also, with available ranges being so few and far between, it's busy as Hell most days.

I joined the Benton Gun Club 5 years ago at $35 per year for unlimited use. Now it's $65 (I didn't support such a high increase) and they now charge newcomers a $100 fee (I also opposed that but somebody in the group is all about raising money for something that hasn't been shared with me, yet).

 

[wideym]

Actually open carry is prohibited. You could be charged with "Carrying a weapon" which is a misdeminor. Although open carry on private property is okay.

I hope you have a chance to see other parts of the state instead of just Little Rock. Other than a few historical sites, most big cities all look the same to me.

 

[marktx]

I've heard that the range in Searcy (Ozark Arms?) is nice, but not much other than that.....

It is colocated with Ozark Arms (exit 45 off 67/167), haven't checked out the range but Ozark is a pretty good shop.