As reported by
KATV News, yesterday the Arkansas legislature gave
final passage to
SB 71, the Church Protection Act of 2013. The bill eliminates the absolute ban on carrying a concealed handgun in a church or other place of worship, and allows the place of worship to decide who may carry a concealed handgun on their premises. The bill now goes to Gov. Mike Beebe who says he will sign it. Proponents of the bill say that current law infringes a church's freedom by deciding for it whether guns are permitted.