A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO AMEND ARKANSAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 2, § 5, TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS.
The Arkansas Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment will be on the ballot in Arkansas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2026.
Click here to read the actual resolution passed by both houses
Gun Owners of Arkansas Strongly supports this amendment to our Arkansas Constitution. We feel it is necessary in this day and age of rogue anti-gun judges legislating from the bench.
What would the amendment change about the right to keep and bear arms in Arkansas?
Currently, Section 5 of Article 2 of the Arkansas Constitution states, “The citizens of this State shall have the right to keep and bear arms, for their common defense.”
In addition to protecting the right to keep and bear arms for their common defense, the amendment would add that Arkansas citizens have the right to keep and bear arms for lawful hunting and recreational use and for any other lawful purpose.
The amendment would also protect the right to possess and use ammunition, firearm accessories, and firearm components without limitation. The amendment would state that the right to keep and bear arms “is a natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed.”
A “yes” vote supports this constitutional amendment to:
- protect the right to possess and use ammunition, firearm accessories, and firearm components without limitation.
- state that the right to keep and bear arms is “a natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed.”
A “no” vote opposes this constitutional amendment to:
- protect the right to possess and use ammunition, firearm accessories, and firearm components without limitation.
- add language stating that the right is a “natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed.”
Defeat would keep the existing constitutional provision in place, which states that “The citizens of this State shall have the right to keep and bear arms, for their common defense.”
Below is the actual vote from the House and the Senate to approve the resolution that would put this amendment on the ballot to be voted on in the general election in November 2026.
State Rep. Matt Duffield (R-53): “At the end of the day, the Second Amendment and our own right to keep and bear arms in the Arkansas Constitution is not about hunting, it’s not about sport-shooting and it’s not about self-protection. It’s about a citizen’s last line of defense against tyranny, and it’s part of our nation’s DNA.”
Senate Floor Vote
4-10-2025
House Floor Vote
4-15-2025
