The Arkansas House has passed a proposal to exempt college sporting events from a new Arkansas law expanding where concealed handguns are allowed after a second athletic conference called for changes to the guns rights measure.
The proposal advanced on a 71-20 vote Thursday. It will now go to the Senate for consideration.
Under the exemption proposal, which Gov. Asa Hutchinson supports, college stadiums such as the University of Arkansas' Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences would be able to designate sensitive areas where they wouldn't want people to carry concealed handguns. To prohibit concealed carry in those sensitive areas, they would have to put together a security plan for those areas and submit it to Arkansas State Police for approval.
The law Hutchinson signed last week allows people with concealed handgun licenses to carry on college campuses, in government buildings and some bars if they undergo up to eight hours of active-shooter training.
The Southeastern Conference said the new law creates concerns for the conference and its member institutions. The Sun Belt Conference said Thursday that it wants to see college sporting events exempted from the new law.
The newly signed law's sponsor, Republican Rep. Charlie Collins, says the exemption proposal makes a good law even better.