Arkansas Gun Laws & Concealed Carry Guide (2026)

Yes, Arkansas allows carry without a license, according to the Arkansas Attorney General. A November 2025 opinion says you may carry a handgun, openly or concealed, without a license if you can legally possess a firearm, are not in an off-limits place, and have no unlawful intent. Arkansas got there through court rulings and rewording rather than one “constitutional carry” bill, so there is no single start date, and no statute sets a separate minimum age for licenseless carry.

This guide explains that history, then covers the Arkansas concealed carry permit, the in-person class, reciprocity, open carry, guns in cars, off-limits places and self-defense law. Each section points to the official source.

Arkansas Concealed Carry At A Glance

Permitless carry	Yes, since No single date (see guide); confirmed by AG Opinion 2025-031
Minimum age to carry	18 in practice (no statute sets an age)
Permit name	Concealed Handgun Carry License (CHCL)
Issued by	Arkansas State Police
Permit fee	$90 new ($65 age 65+); $25 renewal
Permit length	5 years
Training required	Yes: At least 5 hours with an ASP-registered instructor plus live-fire proficiency, in person only; live fire again at renewal (5 CAR §§ 1-301, 1-302).
Online course counts?	No, in-person training required
Non-resident permit	Limited (Only active-duty military members and their spouses.)
Lifetime permit	No
States that honor it	No official list; check each destination state
Last verified	November 2, 2026

Do You Need A Permit To Carry In Arkansas?

No, according to the Attorney General. But the path was messy, so it helps to know how it works.

Arkansas never passed a simple permitless carry law. Its carrying-a-weapon statute, Ark. Code § 5-73-120, makes it a crime to possess a handgun “with a purpose to attempt to unlawfully employ” it as a weapon against a person. A 2013 rewrite of that statute (Act 746) was read differently by Attorney General opinions in 2013 and 2015, which left the question open for years.

Later steps settled it. In 2018 the Arkansas Court of Appeals held in Taff v. State that simply carrying a handgun without unlawful intent does not violate § 5-73-120 (as reported by handgunlaw.us). The legislature then added Ark. Code § 5-73-329(b), which says the licensing law “does not require a person to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun” in Arkansas.

Sources disagree on the key year. Giffords dates the repeal of the permit requirement to 2021, while handgunlaw.us says § 5-73-329 came from Act 777 of 2023. On November 14, 2025, Attorney General Tim Griffin’s Opinion 2025-031 described Arkansas as a constitutional carry state.

Age: We found no official page that states a minimum age for carrying without a license. Ark. Code § 5-73-119 makes it a crime for anyone under 18 to possess a handgun, with narrow exceptions, so 18 is the practical floor. Confirm with the Arkansas State Police if you are under 21.

You may not carry at all if you are a prohibited person under state or federal law, such as most felons. The off-limits places in § 5-73-306 also apply to anyone carrying concealed, licensed or not, according to the Attorney General.

Why Get An Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry License Anyway?

State law says the license exists mainly so Arkansans can carry in other states that require one (§ 5-73-329(a)). That is still the top reason.

Other real benefits:

More places. Licensees may carry concealed in many publicly owned buildings where unlicensed carriers may not carry a loaded gun (§ 5-73-122).
School and public parking lots. Only licensees may keep a handgun in their vehicle in a publicly owned parking lot, including a school drop-off zone (§ 5-73-119(e)(12)).
Legal clarity. A licensee carrying outside prohibited places is presumed to have a lawful purpose under § 5-73-120(c).
Enhanced license. The enhanced license allows carry in more places, including public college campuses (§ 5-73-322).

How To Get An Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry License

The Arkansas State Police (ASP) issue the Concealed Handgun Carry License (CHCL). It is valid for five years.

Check eligibility. You must be 21, or 18 if you are on active duty, in the Guard or Reserve, or honorably discharged (§ 5-73-309). You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident and have lived in Arkansas for 90 days.
Take the class. Use an instructor registered with ASP. Your instructor gives you a training certificate.
Apply. ASP prefers the online application at chcl.ark.org. ASP must receive it within six months of your training date.
Pay the fee. ASP’s October 2026 instructions list $90, or $65 if you are 65 or older. The statutory license fee inside that total is $50, or $25 at 65 and older, and veterans and service members pay no license fee (§ 5-73-311).
Get fingerprinted. ASP sends you a fingerprint form after it receives your application. Take it to a livescan operator.

ASP says the law allows up to four months for processing. Find forms and instructor search on the ASP Concealed Handgun Carry Licensing page.

Do You Need A Class For An Arkansas Carry Permit?

Yes. Under the ASP rules, 5 CAR § 1-301, you need at least five hours of instruction from an ASP-registered instructor. You must also show handgun proficiency with live fire on a range.

The class must be in person. 5 CAR § 1-302(a)(4) says: “Training must be conducted in person.” It adds: “Online training is not allowed and will not be accepted.”

The enhanced license needs about eight hours of training, with a live-fire qualification score of at least 35 out of 50. If you already hold a basic license, ASP says the enhanced add-on class is about four hours plus live fire.

A short online safety course can still be a good first step before you sign up for the required in-person class. It is a primer only. It does not count toward Arkansas training, and its certificate is not a license.

Get Started On Your Permit Online

Watch a short instructional video on firearm safety and responsible carry, take a 10-question quiz, and download your certificate of completion.

Start The Free Online Safety Video →

The certificate is a training record, not a license or permit. In Arkansas, you apply for the Concealed Handgun Carry License (CHCL) through the Arkansas State Police.

Can Non-Residents Get An Arkansas Carry Permit?

Generally no. Arkansas licenses go to residents of at least 90 days. Under 5 CAR § 1-106, active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces and their spouses do not need to be Arkansas residents.

Visitors rarely need one. Arkansas honors every other state’s license, and visitors who may legally possess a firearm can carry under the same rules as unlicensed Arkansans.

New residents with a license from another state can transfer it to Arkansas using ASP’s transfer application.

Which States Honor The Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry License?

ASP does not publish a list of states that honor the Arkansas license. Check each destination state’s official list before you travel. For example, the Kansas Attorney General and the Alaska Department of Public Safety both list Arkansas licenses as recognized.

Recognition changes. Handgunlaw.us reports that Minnesota began honoring Arkansas licenses on May 4, 2025, and that Maine stopped on September 16, 2026.

Arkansas honors all concealed handgun licenses lawfully issued by other states, according to ASP, effective August 16, 2013. Out-of-state licensees must follow Arkansas law while here.

Going next door? See our guides for Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma, or compare every state on our concealed carry laws by state hub.

Can You Open Carry In Arkansas?

Yes. Attorney General Opinion 2025-031 says a person may carry a handgun without a license, “either open carry or concealed,” if they may legally possess it, are not in an off-limits place, and have no unlawful intent.

The opinion also says the § 5-73-306 list of prohibited places governs concealed carry only. Open carry is still limited by other laws, such as trespass. The opinion says open carry is allowed in city parks but not inside municipally owned buildings.

Under 18, handgun possession is generally a crime (§ 5-73-119). Enhanced licensees carrying on a college campus must keep the handgun concealed (§ 5-73-322).

Can You Keep A Gun In Your Car In Arkansas?

Yes. Under § 5-73-120(c), you are presumed to have a lawful purpose when carrying a weapon in your own personal vehicle or while on a journey.

Employer parking lots: Under Ark. Code § 11-5-117, a private employer may not bar an employee from keeping a lawfully possessed firearm “out of sight inside a locked private motor vehicle” in the employer’s lot. Exceptions include employer-owned vehicles, lots at single-family homes, and employees in pending disciplinary proceedings.

School parking lots: Possessing a firearm on developed K-12 school property, on a school bus or at a bus stop is a felony (§ 5-73-119(b)). Licensees may keep a handgun in their vehicle, or locked in an unattended vehicle, in a publicly owned and maintained parking lot, and the law counts a school drop-off zone as a parking lot (§ 5-73-119(e)(12)). We found no matching exception for unlicensed carriers.

Where You Can’t Carry A Gun In Arkansas

Under Ark. Code § 5-73-306, you may not carry concealed in these places, with exceptions noted in the statute:

Police stations, sheriff’s offices, State Police stations and Highway Police facilities.
Prisons, jails and juvenile detention or treatment facilities, including some of their parking lots.
Courthouses and courtrooms. Judges decide whether to allow weapons in their courtrooms.
Meetings of government bodies, the General Assembly and its committees, and state offices.
Athletic events not related to firearms.
Bar areas of places licensed for on-site drinking. Restaurants are an exception.
School, college and university buildings and events, except as allowed for enhanced licensees and parking lots.
Airport passenger terminals.
Churches and other places of worship, unless the church allows it (§ 5-73-306(15)).
Parades or demonstrations that need a permit, if you are taking part.
Places posted at each entrance with a written notice that “carrying a handgun is prohibited.”
Private colleges, churches and businesses that serve alcohol, if they tell you verbally or in writing that carry is not allowed.
Firearm-sensitive areas approved by ASP, such as the Arkansas State Hospital and UAMS.
Places where federal law bans firearms.

Two other laws matter. Section 5-73-119 bans firearms on developed K-12 property, school buses and bus stops. Section 5-73-122 bans loaded firearms in publicly owned buildings, with an exception for licensees, and bans all firearms in the State Capitol Building and the Arkansas Justice Building.

Duty to inform: Yes, for licensees. Under 5 CAR § 1-201(c)(1), a licensee who is carrying and is asked for identification by an officer must show the license and photo ID and tell the officer they have a license and a handgun. We found no similar rule for people carrying without a license.

Renewing An Arkansas Concealed Handgun Carry License

Renewal is not paperwork only. Under 5 CAR § 1-301(b), you must complete renewal training, including live fire, within six months before or after your license expires.

The statutory renewal fee is $25, with a $15 late fee if you renew after expiration (§ 5-73-313). ASP prefers online renewal.

Enhanced training does not need to be repeated unless the license is revoked or permanently expires. Live fire is still required at each renewal.

Arkansas Castle Doctrine And Stand Your Ground Law

Under Ark. Code § 5-2-607, you may use deadly force if you reasonably believe the other person is committing a violent felony or using unlawful deadly force. You are not required to retreat if you are lawfully present, reasonably believe you or someone else faces imminent death or serious injury, and are not the aggressor.

The no-retreat rule does not apply if you are engaged in criminal activity that caused the need for force, or are illegally possessing the firearm you used outside your home. Ark. Code § 5-2-620 adds a castle doctrine. Force used to defend people or property in your home is presumed lawful unless there is “clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.”

The self-defense statutes we reviewed do not include the broad civil immunity found in some states, so a civil lawsuit is still possible. Check with an Arkansas attorney about your situation.

These laws do not prevent an arrest or charges. A self-defense case can still lead to an investigation and an expensive legal defense.

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Arkansas Gun Laws FAQ

Is Arkansas A Constitutional Carry State?

Yes, according to Attorney General Opinion 2025-031. You may carry openly or concealed without a license if you can legally possess a firearm, avoid prohibited places and have no unlawful intent.

How Old Do You Have To Be To Carry A Gun In Arkansas?

No statute sets a separate age for carrying without a license. Handgun possession under 18 is generally a crime, so 18 is the practical minimum. The license requires age 21, or 18 for military members and veterans.

Do You Have To Tell Police You Are Carrying In Arkansas?

Licensees do. If you are carrying and an officer asks for ID, you must show your license and tell the officer you have a handgun (5 CAR § 1-201(c)(1)).

Can You Carry In A Restaurant That Serves Alcohol In Arkansas?

Yes, restaurants are excepted from the bar ban in § 5-73-306, unless the restaurant is posted. Stay out of the bar area and do not drink while carrying.

How Much Is An Arkansas Concealed Carry Permit?

ASP’s current instructions list $90 for a new license, or $65 if you are 65 or older. You also pay for the class. Renewal is $25 plus renewal training.

Can You Carry A Gun In Church In Arkansas?

Only with the church’s approval. Churches are on the prohibited list in § 5-73-306(15), but the law lets each church decide who may carry concealed inside. Because the Attorney General says that list applies to everyone carrying concealed, ask your church leaders first.

If your church is setting up armed volunteers, look into legal protection for church security teams.