Arkansas Concealed Carry Laws

Last reviewed: September 14, 2026

Constitutional Carry Yes.
Open Carry Unclear
Permit honored in 38 states
Arkansas honors 49 states

Arkansas Gun Laws

Reciprocity of Arkansas's Basic Resident Permit

Alaska: Permit honoredAlabama: Permit honoredArkansas (current state)Arizona: Permit honoredCalifornia: Permit not honoredColorado: Permit honoredConnecticut: Permit not honoredDistrict of Columbia: Permit not honoredDelaware: Permit honoredFlorida: Permit honoredGeorgia: Permit honoredHawaii: Permit not honoredIowa: Permit honoredIdaho: Permit honoredIllinois: Permit not honoredIndiana: Permit honoredKansas: Permit honoredKentucky: Permit honoredLouisiana: Permit honoredMassachusetts: Permit not honoredMaryland: Permit not honoredMaine: Permit honoredMichigan: Permit honoredMinnesota: Permit honoredMissouri: Permit honoredMississippi: Permit honoredMontana: Permit honoredNorth Carolina: Permit honoredNorth Dakota: Permit honoredNebraska: Permit honoredNew Hampshire: Permit honoredNew Jersey: Permit not honoredNew Mexico: Permit honoredNevada: Permit honoredNew York: Permit not honoredOhio: Permit honoredOklahoma: Permit honoredOregon: Permit not honoredPennsylvania: Permit honoredRhode Island: Permit not honoredSouth Carolina: Permit honoredSouth Dakota: Permit honoredTennessee: Permit honoredTexas: Permit honoredUtah: Permit honoredVirginia: Permit honoredVermont: Permit honoredWashington: Permit not honoredWisconsin: Permit honoredWest Virginia: Permit honoredWyoming: Permit honored AKALARAZCACOCTDCDEFLGAHIIAIDILINKSKYLAMAMDMEMIMNMOMSMTNCNDNENHNJNMNVNYOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVAVTWAWIWVWY
Permit honored Permitless carry Not honored

Open Carry

Unclear

There is some debate. A recent A.G. opinion asserts that one may open carry while on foot as long as one does not intend to use the handgun to commit a criminal offense.
Informational

Duty to Notify Law Enforcement

Rule 3.2 Contact With Law Enforcement (b) In any official contact with law enforcement, if the licensee is in possession of a handgun, when the officer asks the licensee for identification (driver’s license, or personal information, such as name and date of birth), the licensee shall notify the officer that he or she holds a concealed handgun carry license and that he or she has a handgun in his or her possession.
Informational

State Parks

Concealed Carry is legal in accordance with state laws that regulate the right to carry
Permitted

Restaurants Serving Alcohol

You may carry in a bar ONLY with an enhanced permit. Restaurants are ok and are defined in 3-5-1202 as places where complete meals are actually and regularly served and have a seating capacity of at least 50 people and have capacity to serve suitable food for its guests.
Permitted

Firearms at Colleges

Concealed guns allowed by law on public campuses for Enhanced Permittees only, but schools limit locations/who carries.
Informational

Firearms at K-12 Schools

Arkansas permittee w/loaded handgun lawful in car only.
Restricted

Church Carry

Churches act like any other private property and may restrict
on a church by church basis
Informational

Hotels

No legal restriction - Reference article on page 67
Informational

Secure Storage Requirements

None
Permitted

Magazine Capacity Limitations

No restrictions
Permitted

Suppressor Ownership

Ownership & Hunting Legal.
Permitted

Vehicle Possession Without Recognized Permit

Any person who can legally own a handgun can possess a loaded handgun concealed in a vehicle
Permitted

Firearm Law Uniformity

Uniform throughout state
Permitted

Permit Training Requirements

Basic 5 hour class for the basic permit or 8 hour enhanced training for the enhanced permit. List of certified instructors maintained online. Any person who becomes a resident of Arkansas who has a valid license by a reciprocal state may apply to transfer his/her license.
Informational

Non-Resident Permits

Only active duty military and their spouse may apply for a non-resident permit.
Restricted

Constitutional Carry

Yes.
Permitted

Duty to Retreat

No
Restricted

Places Off Limits

- Police stations, sheriff's stations, and Arkansas State Police stations
- Arkansas Highway Police facilities
- Any part of a detention facility, prison, jail, or Division of Youth Services residential treatment facility, including their parking lots
- Courthouses, courthouse annexes, and other county buildings used for court proceedings or housing county offices, with narrow exceptions for certain county employees and elected officials where the quorum court has approved a security plan
- Any courtroom (judges may decide who carries into their own courtroom)
- Meeting places of the governing body of any governmental entity
- Meetings of the General Assembly or its committees
- Any state office
- Any athletic event not related to firearms
- The portion of any establishment licensed to serve alcohol, beer, or light wine for on-premises consumption — restaurants meeting the statutory definition are excepted
- School, college, community college, or university campus buildings and events. Exceptions exist for certain church-operated and private K-12 schools, authorized firearms activities, publicly owned campus parking lots where the gun stays in the vehicle, and licensees holding the Arkansas enhanced endorsement
- Inside airport passenger terminals, unless the firearm is cased and being checked as baggage
- Churches and other places of worship, though each congregation may decide who carries there
- Any place where federal law prohibits firearms
- Any parade or demonstration requiring a permit, if you're a participant
- Any place posted at each entrance with a notice readable from ten feet stating that carrying a handgun is prohibited
- Any private property where the owner gives you written or verbal notice — remaining or returning after notice is a violation
- Posted firearm-sensitive areas approved by the State Police at the Arkansas State Hospital, UAMS, or a collegiate athletic event — off limits even with the enhanced endorsement
- Publicly owned buildings and facilities generally, and the State Capitol grounds. The State Capitol Building and Arkansas Justice Building bar firearms loaded or unloaded
- Portions of municipal parks and recreational property containing a sports field during an event or practice, a municipal building, or an area leased for a special event
- Certain Arkansas state park buildings by directive, including lodges, restaurants and cafes, visitor centers, museum buildings with offices, maintenance buildings, marina sales offices, and the Bladesmith School at Old Washington — all must be posted
- City and county parks that have been posted with no-firearms signs, per AG opinion
- College and university dormitories and residence halls (storage prohibited)
- State parks located on Army Corps of Engineers land, per federal law
Informational

State Contact / Source

Arkansas State Police HQ
1 State Police Plaza Drive
Little Rock, AR 72209
501-618-8000
www.asp.state.ar.us
Informational

Permit Issuing Authority

State Police
Informational

Length of Permit Validity

5 Years
Informational

Permit Application Process

Complete the required training and complete the license application (preferable online) and send the State Police all the paperwork and fingerprints along with the fee.
Informational

Arkansas Permit Reciprocity

Reciprocity shown is for a standard resident permit. Non-resident and enhanced permit holders may have different reciprocity. Always verify before carrying. Use our full permit reciprocity map for all permit types →

Your Arkansas resident permit is honored in 38 states

AK AL AZ CO DE FL GA IA ID IN KS KY LA ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NM NV OH OK PA SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WI WV WY

Arkansas honors resident permits from 49 states

AK AL AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA WA WI WV WY
Disclaimer:
While Concealed Carry Inc strives to maintain legal reference information updated on this website from publicly available sources; you as the reader and gun owner are responsible to do any and all necessary research and consult with a local attorney before making any decisions. Concealed Carry Inc is not a government agency is not affiliated with a government agency and is not liable for any misinformation, inaccuracies, or actions taken based on this information. We are not attorneys and this information is not legal advice. If you see any information you feel is outdated or incorrect please contact us.

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