Arkansas Voters Weigh Issue 2 Constitutional Amendment on Firearm Rights and Ammunition Regulations
Voters across Arkansas are deciding the fate of a proposed constitutional amendment this midterm election that would explicitly expand protections for gun owners, setting up a sharp clash between firearms advocacy groups and gun safety organizations over the future of state regulations.
Arkansasarkansasadvocate.com reported that Issue 2 would amend the state constitution to clarify that the right to keep and bear arms includes “without limitation” the possession and use of ammunition, firearm accessories, and firearm components. The current text in the state constitution declares that citizens “shall have the right to keep and bear arms, for their common defense.”
The proposal is one of four ballot measures currently before voters in the 2026 general election. If approved, the amendment would take effect on January 1.
Lawmakers Sponsor Resolution to Protect Gun Owners
Republican Sen. John Payton and Rep. Matt Duffield sponsored the resolution that placed Issue 2 on the ballot through the state’s referred amendment process, which permits lawmakers to put up to three proposed amendments before voters during general elections.
Supporters argue the change is necessary to protect gun owners from future legislative restrictions. Gary Epperson, president of Gun Owners of Arkansas, stated that the current constitutional phrasing is weak and vulnerable to exploitation by lawmakers seeking to restrict firearms.
“With this wording anti-gun legislators could create havoc with the individual right to keep and bear arms,” Epperson said, as reported by arkansasadvocate.com.
Epperson noted that the amendment incorporates new language in anticipation of shifting legal battles following upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decisions regarding bans on assault weapons. By embedding terms like “natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed,” the amendment would raise judicial standards, requiring courts to apply strict scrutiny—the highest standard of review for government actions, according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.
The ballot question committee GO-AR for Issue 2, formed by Gun Owners of Arkansas board members, has donated more than $20,000 to fund advertising, yard signs, and printed materials supporting the measure.
Opponents Raise Concerns Over Public Safety and Unintended Legal Consequences
Critics of the measure contend that the amendment is entirely unnecessary because individual rights are already protected under the existing state constitution, and they argue the text does nothing to enhance child safety.
According to the Public Policy Center at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, declaring that gun rights include the unrestricted possession of ammunition and accessories could open the door to legal challenges that undermine responsible firearm ownership and public safety.
Casey Cromer, group lead for Northwest Arkansas Moms Demand Action, questioned how the absolute language designating the right as natural and fundamental would interact with existing prohibitions preventing individuals such as felons or domestic abusers from owning firearms.
“If their right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed as a natural and fundamental right, how are our courts going to enforce that,” Cromer said, as covered by arkansasadvocate.com. “It seems like this extreme and absolute language…will create unintended consequences.”
Cromer emphasized that while she is a gun owner who believes the right to bear arms is important, she advocates for commonsense regulations aimed specifically at curbing gun violence rather than firearms ownership as a whole.
The League of Women Voters of Arkansas has also taken a stance against Issue 2. Kristin Foster, executive director of the Arkansas chapter, explained that while the organization supports lawful hunting and recreational use, the breadth of the proposed expansion goes beyond what the group considers consistent with consumer safety, background checks, and identity verification procedures.
With voting underway, the outcome of Issue 2 will determine whether Arkansas constitutional law adopts explicit protections for ammunition and accessories, directly shaping future state firearm regulations for years to come.
