Arkansas State Fair Bans Firearms

“Open carry or concealed carry– there are no weapons allowed on the fairgrounds,” says General Manager Ralph Shoptaw. The Arkansas State Fair decided to ban all firearms the whole 10 days of the event. A no weapon policy is their way of keeping the fairgoer safe.

“At the state fair if it is posted, like it is, you cannot bring a weapon in,” Little Rock Police Lt. Steven McClanahan said. It is the same thing as respecting a “no weapons” sign posted by a private property owner.

Two points to consider, one of which, cites the previous North Carolina State Fair.

1. A concealed carry group exhausted all legal means to somehow change the mind of those in charge of the fair about the gun ban but to no avail because a judge upheld the ban of firearms during the fair. One day during the North Carolina State Fair, a fairgoer coming back to their car was robbed at gunpoint in the parking lot. The ban took away the chance for these victims to defend themselves and they were left at the mercy of those thugs. Sure the incident didn’t happen inside the fairgrounds. It happened in the parking lot while people from the fair were walking back to their cars. The victim could have been a concealed carrier, but if they were, it becomes useless, because they left their gun locked inside their car and became a sitting duck.

2. Millions of citizens carry a gun each day yet, we almost never hear any of them initiate a ruckus or make an environment unsafe for anyone.

The Arkansas State Fair may or may not change their decision. We sure hope that the bad guys are on vacation during the fair.