Arkansas House Passes Bill Legalizing Machine Guns

The Arkansas House passed legislation to end a statewide ban on the possession of machine guns and sawed-off shotguns this week.

The bill, HB 1820, was approved on a 72-14 vote.  Democrats made up most of the opposition.

The bill’s sponsor, Justin Gonzales, says that people with a federal license can already possess these weapons and that some firearms collectors may actually be in violation of state law.

Gonzales also made it clear that he “didn’t own such weapons”.

The State Representative then added that these weapons are already legal at the federal level, albeit with stiff regulations:

These things are legal federally if you’re willing to pay the money and jump through all the hoops to own them.

Since 2018, gun control has become a major issue in state legislatures across the country, with certain legislatures passing legislation such as bump stock bans and red flag laws.

However, pro-gun states have pushed back with their own reforms such as Constitutional Carry, which Kentucky, Oklahoma, and South Dakota passed this year.

As the federal government lags behind in restoring gun rights, pro-gun state legislatures are picking up slack.