Governor hopeful says Arkansas' enhanced-carry gun law is 'disaster'

Jan Morgan talks to a reporter Monday at a deli near the state Capitol about her position on issues such as Arkansas Works. Morgan is running in the Republican primary against incumbent Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Jan Morgan talks to a reporter Monday at a deli near the state Capitol about her position on issues such as Arkansas Works. Morgan is running in the Republican primary against incumbent Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' enhanced-carry gun law is a "disaster," said Republican gubernatorial candidate Jan Morgan.

After addressing about 40 people at a meeting of the Republican Women of Washington County group at San Miguel Mexican Grill & Bar, Morgan briefly butted heads with state Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, who sponsored the bill that became Act 562 of 2017.

The law allows people with "enhanced" carry licenses to take concealed handguns onto public university campuses and into other public spaces.

"I'm sorry that you feel that the enhanced-carry program is good and is good for the people of the state because it is a disaster," said Morgan, who owns a gun range in Hot Springs. "I'm refusing to teach it. I'm refusing to take the test. It's 30 pages of additional restrictions."

The bill itself was nine pages, but the Arkansas State Police revised "syllabus for enhanced training" is 25 pages.

Collins, who was sitting on the front row, had repeatedly asked Morgan if she would have vetoed the bill if she was governor.

Morgan said the bill never would have happened under her leadership.

"Under my leadership, there's not going to be a bully pulpit, bullying Republican legislators to act and vote like Democrats," she said.

Morgan said she would make sure Arkansans know about the bills that are coming before the Legislature.

"The people are going to stay on your back and say, 'This is what we want,' and if you fail them, you're going to answer to them, not to a governor who twisted your arm and said if you don't vote the way I say, you're going to have a primary opponent, and I'm going to fund them with Asa PAC money," she said, referring to Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

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"It's unfair to say somebody twisted my arm because they didn't," responded Collins. "You didn't twist it, and he didn't twist it."

Morgan said the enhanced-carry legislation needs to be tossed and the state needs to go back to "constitutional carry."

"Constitutional carry means you don't have to get that permission slip from the state," she said.

Morgan said the enhanced-carry bill "tells you that it's OK to consume alcohol and carry a gun."

"That flies in the face of what I teach," she said.

"These are the kinds of issues with that enhanced-carry bill. I'm wondering did you really read it before you put it out there?"

Morgan said other legislators told her their "arms were twisted" by Hutchinson to vote in a manner she deemed to be "like Democrats."

Afterward, Collins said he never got a straight answer from Morgan on whether she would have signed his bill or vetoed it, and she was making an issue of voting transparency during her speech.

"The way things are operating today in the state of Arkansas, I would submit to you we have constitutional carry," said Collins. "There are many places where our concealed-carry law prevents you from carrying, that are prohibited by law. College campuses is one. The state Capitol is another. Bars are another.

"The enhanced carry says if you get this additional eight hours of training, which is two hours of shooting training as well as six hours of in-class instruction, including an active-shooter situation, then you'll be able to carry in a much wider range of places, including the state Capitol and college campuses and bars. It does not authorize you to be drunk and disorderly. It does not authorize you to be drunk with a weapon, but you can go in a bar."

Morgan is challenging Hutchinson in the May 22 Republican primary. The winner of the Republican primary faces the winner of the Democratic primary -- either Jared Henderson of Little Rock or Leticia Sanders of North Little Rock -- and Libertarian Mark West of Batesville in the Nov. 6 general election.

Metro on 03/28/2018

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