Arkansas Voters Approve Issue 2 With 70%, Writing Ammunition, Firearm Accessories and ‘Shall Not Be Infringed’ Into the State Constitution
Key Takeaways
- Arkansas voters approved Issue 2 with 70% of the vote, according to results from the secretary of state's office.
- Issue 2 expands the Arkansas Constitution's right to bear arms to include possession and use of ammunition and firearm accessories.
- The amendment defines the right to keep and bear arms as a natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed.
- Issue 2 takes effect January 1, alongside Issue 1, which prohibits noncitizens from voting in local and state elections.
- Arkansas voters also approved Issue 4, authorizing up to $500 million in bonds for water and related projects, while Issue 3 failed.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
LITTLE ROCK, AR — Arkansas voters on Tuesday approved Issue 2, a constitutional amendment that expands the state’s right to keep and bear arms to include the possession and use of ammunition and firearm accessories. The measure won 70% of the vote, according to results from the secretary of state’s office.
On Monday I covered what was on the ballot in Arkansas Voters Decide Tuesday Whether to Write Ammunition, Accessories and Gun Components Into the State Constitution. The results are now in, along with the amendment’s effective date and its full rights language, as reported by the Arkansas Advocate.
What Issue 2 changes
The Arkansas Constitution already protected the right to bear arms. Issue 2 expands that right to cover the possession and use of ammunition and firearm accessories.
It also makes the right to keep and bear arms “a natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed.” That puts the Second Amendment’s own words into the Arkansas Constitution and defines the right as individual and fundamental in the text itself.
The measure’s sponsors say it is needed to better protect the right to keep and bear arms. Critics argue it would make it more difficult to implement gun safety regulations.
The rest of the ballot
Issue 2 was one of three measures Arkansas voters approved Tuesday. Issue 1, which adds language to the state constitution explicitly prohibiting noncitizens from voting in local and state elections, took 69%. Issue 4, which authorizes up to $500 million in general obligation bonds for water, waste disposal, drainage, flood control and related projects, took 56.4%. Issue 3, which would have allowed local governments to create economic development districts, failed with nearly 50.7% of voters opposed.
When it takes effect
More from USA Carry:
- Arkansas Voters Decide Tuesday Whether to Write Ammunition, Accessories and Gun Components Into the State Constitution – USA Carry
- Federal & State Background Checks for Firearms: Issues and Ideas
- Massachusetts Gun Owners Must Register Their Firearms Today, Six Days Before Voters Decide Whether to Keep the Registry Law
- Rock Island Armory 1911 TAC Ultra CS 9mm Review
- Fees, State-Approved Coursework, Then Permission to Buy: NRA Joins the Legal Fight Over Colorado’s Permit-to-Purchase Law for Semiautomatic Firearms
Issue 2 and Issue 1 both take effect Jan. 1. The current rules for carrying in the state are laid out in my Arkansas concealed carry laws and permit information.
I will continue tracking Issue 2 as it moves from the ballot into the Arkansas Constitution.
Read the original story: Arkansas Voters Approve Issue 2 With 70%, Writing Ammunition, Firearm Accessories and ‘Shall Not Be Infringed’ Into the State Constitution