Arkansas Gun Laws: Complete Guide

Private Firearm Sales in Arkansas

• Federal law does not require an FFL, background check, or federal record for an occasional transfer between unlicensed residents of the same state. The reviewed Arkansas statutes do not add a universal private-transfer mandate. [8][3]
• Arkansas prohibits furnishing a firearm or other deadly weapon to a minor without consent from a parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the minor's general supervision. Furnishing a handgun is treated more seriously under the statute. [3]
• A seller must not transfer a firearm to a prohibited recipient. Arkansas separately criminalizes furnishing a handgun to a person the transferor knows has a felony conviction, while federal law adds its own prohibited-person rules. [3][10]
• A transfer to an out-of-state resident generally must go through an FFL in the recipient's state. Gifts and family transfers ordinarily remain subject to the federal interstate-transfer rule. [8]
• A bill of sale is not generally required for an occasional Arkansas private sale, but it can document the parties, firearm, date, consent where applicable, and eligibility representations. [8][3]

Important notice: A bill of sale does not replace an FFL transfer, background check, supervisory consent, or other legal requirement when one applies. [8][3]

Buying a Firearm in Arkansas

• Licensed dealers generally must verify identity, complete federal transfer records, and obtain a NICS result unless an exception applies. Arkansas has no general purchase permit or waiting period. [10][3]
• Federal dealer minimum ages are 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns, frames, receivers, and other firearms. Federal law generally permits an eligible person age 18 to 20 to acquire a handgun from an unlicensed same-state resident. [9][8]
• Arkansas generally prohibits handgun possession by a person under 18, subject to exceptions, and regulates furnishing any firearm to a minor without supervisory consent. These rules can make the practical private-purchase minimum 18 absent a clear exception and consent. [3]
• Arkansas has no general firearm registration or owner-license requirement for ordinary firearms. NFA firearms have separate federal registration and approval rules. [3][5][11]

Firearm Ownership and Prohibited Persons

• Arkansas Section 5-73-103 generally prohibits firearm possession by a person convicted of a felony, adjudicated mentally ill, or involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Federal prohibited-person law applies independently. [3][10]
• Arkansas law provides routes for restoration in specified cases, including a gubernatorial restoration or qualifying pardon. A sealed, dismissed, or expunged case does not always produce the same result under state and federal law. [3][4]
• Anyone with a felony, mental-health adjudication, protection order, or other potential disability should verify both Arkansas and federal status before possessing any firearm. A carry license does not override a possession prohibition. [3][1]

Carrying a Firearm in Arkansas

• Act 777 of 2023 states that a license is not required to carry a concealed handgun in Arkansas. Section 5-73-120 focuses the carrying offense on possession with a purpose to attempt to unlawfully employ the handgun, knife, or club as a weapon against a person. [2][3]
• Open carry is also generally lawful when the carrier may possess the handgun and lacks an unlawful purpose. Permitless carry does not authorize threatening conduct, unlawful use, possession by a prohibited person, or entry into a restricted place. [3][2]
• Arkansas generally prohibits handgun possession under age 18, subject to statutory exceptions. The ordinary CHCL minimum is 21, with eligibility from 18 for specified current, reserve, National Guard, and honorably discharged military applicants. [3][4]
• Arkansas State Police continues to issue optional CHCLs. Applicants undergo state and federal background checks, submit fingerprints and an application, meet eligibility rules, and complete approved handgun training. [1][4]
• An Enhanced CHCL requires both basic and enhanced training and expands lawful carry in some otherwise restricted public locations. It does not eliminate every statutory or posted restriction. [1][4]
• Arkansas recognizes concealed handgun licenses lawfully issued by every other state, but visitors remain bound by Arkansas law and location restrictions. [1][4]

Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine in Arkansas

• Arkansas Constitution Article 2, Section 5 states: "The citizens of this State shall have the right to keep and bear arms, for their common defense." [14]
• Arkansas Code Section 5-2-607 justifies using deadly physical force upon another person when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death, serious physical injury, or one of several listed violent felonies. Act 250 of 2021 rewrote subsection (b) to add a statewide no-duty-to-retreat rule: a person who is lawfully present where the force is used, reasonably believes the other person is imminently threatening death or serious physical injury, is not the initial aggressor and has not provoked the other person, is not committing a felony firearms offense with the weapon used (unless in or at their own dwelling or curtilage), is not engaged in the criminal activity that gave rise to the need for force, and is not furthering criminal-gang activity has no duty to retreat before using deadly force. [15]
• Arkansas Code Section 5-2-608 separately addresses defense of premises: nondeadly force may be used to prevent or stop a criminal trespass on premises or a vehicle a person lawfully possesses or controls, while deadly force in that situation is limited to circumstances already authorized under Section 5-2-607 or to prevent the trespasser from committing arson or burglary, not simply to stop theft or vandalism. [16][15]

Important notice: Arkansas Code Section 16-120-302 grants civil immunity, plus a mandatory award of attorney's fees, costs, and trial-related expenses to a prevailing defendant, for deadly physical force used against an initial aggressor in accordance with Section 5-2-607. That immunity statute is narrower than the criminal justification defense, and being justified under the criminal statute does not automatically prevent every civil lawsuit over the same conduct in every circumstance. Every self-defense situation is fact-specific and high-stakes; get individualized legal advice before relying on any of this content in an actual confrontation. [17][15]

Transporting Firearms in Arkansas

• Arkansas generally permits an eligible adult to carry a handgun in an occupied vehicle without a carry license, provided the person does not have the purpose to attempt to unlawfully employ it as a weapon. [2][3]
• Vehicle carry remains subject to prohibited-person rules and location-specific restrictions. School, correctional, airport-security, and other rules may regulate the firearm or the place where the vehicle is parked. [3][4]
• For interstate travel, 18 U.S.C. 926A protects qualifying transportation between places where possession and carry are lawful when the firearm is unloaded and not readily accessible under the statute's conditions. [12]
• Check each destination before crossing state lines. Some NFA firearms also require prior ATF approval before interstate movement. [12][11]

Restricted Firearms and Accessories

• The reviewed Arkansas statutes do not impose a general magazine-capacity limit or a separate statewide ban based on semiautomatic features. Person, location, criminal-use, and federal restrictions still apply. [3][5]
• Act 1051 removed state prohibited-weapon treatment for federally compliant firearm suppressors and machine guns. Federal NFA registration, transfer, making, and machine-gun restrictions remain controlling. [6][11]
• Federal law generally limits civilian machine-gun possession to machine guns lawfully possessed before May 19, 1986, plus specified government exceptions. Short-barreled firearms and other NFA items require the applicable federal process. [11]
• Arkansas does not have an enacted dedicated extreme-risk protection order law. HB 1033 proposed an Arkansas Red Flag Law in 2025 but was withdrawn and recommended for interim study. [7][3]

Safe Storage, Minors, and Lost Firearms

• Arkansas does not impose a general locked-storage or child-access-prevention mandate on every firearm owner. Locking unloaded firearms away from unauthorized users remains a prudent safety practice. [3][5]
• Arkansas instead regulates furnishing firearms to minors without supervisory consent and generally prohibits handgun possession by a person under 18, subject to statutory exceptions for specified activities and circumstances. [3]
• The reviewed Arkansas sources do not set a general deadline for an ordinary owner to report a lost or stolen firearm. Prompt reporting to local law enforcement can document the loss and support recovery; federal licensees have separate reporting duties. [3][5]

Where Firearms May Be Restricted

• Arkansas law restricts firearms in police and State Police stations, correctional facilities, courthouses, polling places, government meetings and offices, specified educational property, airport passenger terminals, and other listed locations. The exact rule and exceptions depend on license and enhanced-endorsement status. [4][3]
• Carry is also restricted in specified portions of establishments serving alcohol, collegiate athletic events, posted firearm-sensitive areas, and places whose controlling person or entity posts legally sufficient notice. Places of worship may control who carries there. [4][1]
• An Enhanced CHCL can authorize carry in some locations unavailable to an ordinary licensee or permitless carrier, but prisons, courtrooms, secured airport areas, firearm-sensitive areas, and posted private property can remain restricted. [1][4]
• Federal buildings and other federal property have separate rules. Never assume permitless carry or an enhanced endorsement overrides federal law or an applicable property restriction. [4][1]

Local Firearm Laws and State Preemption

• Arkansas Section 14-54-1411 generally prevents a city, town, or county from regulating firearm or ammunition ownership, transfer, transportation, carrying, or possession beyond authority provided by state or federal law. [5]
• Local governments may regulate unsafe firearm discharge. The statute also describes a narrow power to enact a temporary emergency ordinance after a gubernatorial emergency proclamation, subject to voting and duration limits. [5]

Before Completing a Private Firearm Sale in Arkansas

• Confirm that both parties are Arkansas residents before treating the transaction as a same-state private sale. [8]
• Verify identity and age; do not furnish a firearm to a minor without the consent required by Arkansas law. [3][9]
• Do not transfer if you know or have reason to believe the recipient is prohibited under Arkansas or federal law. [3][10]
• Use an FFL for an interstate transfer and whenever the law or either party's uncertainty calls for one. [8]
• Confirm federal compliance for suppressors, machine guns, short-barreled firearms, and other NFA items. [6][11]
• Consider a bill of sale documenting the parties, firearm, date, consent where applicable, and eligibility representations. [8][3]

Official Arkansas Firearm Law Resources

Arkansas Gun Law FAQ

Sources

1. 1. Concealed Handgun Carry LicensingArkansas State Police. State agency. Accessed August 7, 2026.
2. 2. Act 777 of 2023, Concealed Carry License Not RequiredArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 7, 2026.
3. 3. Arkansas Code Sections 5-73-101 Through 5-73-133, WeaponsArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 7, 2026.
4. 4. Arkansas Code Sections 5-73-301 Through 5-73-329, Concealed HandgunsArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 7, 2026.
5. 5. Arkansas Code Section 14-54-1411, Firearm PreemptionArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 7, 2026.
6. 6. Act 1051 of 2019, Suppressors, Machine Guns, and NFA ComplianceArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 7, 2026.
7. 7. HB 1033 of 2025, Proposed Arkansas Red Flag LawArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 7, 2026.
8. 8. Firearms Questions and Answers: Unlicensed PersonsBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal agency. Accessed August 7, 2026.
9. 9. Minimum Age for Gun Sales and TransfersBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal agency. Accessed August 7, 2026.
10. 10. National Instant Criminal Background Check SystemFederal Bureau of Investigation. Federal agency. Accessed August 7, 2026.
11. 11. National Firearms ActBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal agency. Accessed August 7, 2026.
12. 12. 18 U.S.C. 926A, Interstate Transportation of FirearmsOffice of the Law Revision Counsel. Federal statute. Accessed August 7, 2026.
13. 13. 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3), Sales to Residents of Other StatesOffice of the Law Revision Counsel. Federal statute. Accessed August 9, 2026.
14. 14. Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, Section 5, Right to Bear ArmsState of Arkansas. State statute. Accessed August 9, 2026.
15. 15. Arkansas Code Section 5-2-607, Use of Deadly Physical Force in Defense of a PersonArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 9, 2026.
16. 16. Arkansas Code Section 5-2-608, Use of Physical Force in Defense of PremisesArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 9, 2026.
17. 17. Arkansas Code Section 16-120-302, Civil Immunity for Use of Deadly Physical Force Against an Initial AggressorArkansas State Legislature. State statute. Accessed August 9, 2026.