Pro-Gun Rights

As your State Representative, I have fought to protect our absolute right to

"keep and bear arms". We all know the 2nd Amendment was not addressing hunting rights. It's there to protect all of our other rights from a tyrannical government!

So far in my first two terms, I have sponsored or co-sponsored the following major bills:

My Anti-ATF Commandeering Act (HB1481/SB399)

The bill simply states that Arkansas has chosen not to assist the ATF in enforcing their unconstitutional federal gun laws. The Anti-Commandeering doctrine, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court five times, including four in the last 33 years, clearly prohibits the federal government from compelling a state to enforce federal laws or rules. While it doesn’t prevent the federal government from enforcing its own unconstitutional laws, it would do so without Arkansas’s assistance.

The ATF has done more to undermine our gun rights than all other agencies combined. They appear to be hell-bent on harassing citizens rather than criminals. Just a few examples illustrate this: Ruby Ridge, where a mother and her 13-year-old son were tragically killed; the Branch Davidians Church in Waco, where 76 members, including 25 children, lost their lives; and the Fast and Furious operation, which resulted in the death of a Border Patrol agent. And closer to home, Little Rock airport director Bryan Malinowski was killed in a predawn raid to serve a search warrant. These were all ATF operations, and there are many more. What was the common thread? Men, women, and children were killed because of the ATF’s overzealous enforcement of federal gun laws that clearly infringe upon citizens’ gun rights, as stated in the Second Amendment. Arkansas has many capable law enforcement officers who can effectively enforce our state laws without getting involved in deadly ATF raids.

Imagine if the local officials in Massachusetts had assisted the Redcoats in their gun and ammunition confiscation at Lexington and Concord. The shot heard 'round the world might never have been fired.

A key achievement of the 2025 legislative session was the approval of SJR11, which I was proud to co-sponsor in the House. If voters approve it in the next General Election, it will significantly enhance our gun rights by amending Article 2, § 5 of the Arkansas Constitution.

Currently, that section merely states:

“The citizens of this State shall have the right to keep and bear arms, for their common defense.”

This wording is vague and limited. In the hands of a liberal judge, it could be interpreted in a way that permits government overreach and serious infringements. SJR11 provides essential clarity, clearly defining the full scope of our rights and closing loopholes that anti-gun activists might exploit.

Here’s the new language that would be added to Article 2, § 5:

AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION TO PROVIDE

THAT THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS SHALL HAVE

THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS FOR THEIR COMMON

DEFENSE, FOR LAWFUL HUNTING AND RECREATIONAL USE, AND

FOR ANY OTHER LAWFUL PURPOSE; PROVIDING THAT THE

RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS INCLUDES WITHOUT

LIMITATION THE POSSESSION AND USE OF AMMUNITION,

FIREARM ACCESSORIES, AND FIREARM COMPONENTS; AND

PROVIDING THAT THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS IS A

NATURAL, FUNDAMENTAL, AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHT THAT SHALL

NOT BE INFRINGED.

"There is a risk involved in living in a free country. I accept those risks and reject the tyranny that they disguise as safety." - Rep. Wayne Long