After the killing of an airport executive, Arkansas Armory tightens the laws pertaining to private firearms sales

Little Rock, Arkansas – The issue of rights surrounding private gun purchases in Arkansas has come to light following the passing of former executive Bryan Malinowski of Clinton National Airport, while a search warrant for illicit firearms was being served.

Although private gun transactions without a license are lawful, Nathan House of the Arkansas Armory pointed out today that there are additional restrictions to be mindful of.

“It’s perfectly legal to be able to sell guns that you own out of your personal collection. That’s something that’s always been legal and continues to be legal,” House said.

To sell for a profit, Arkansans must, nevertheless, obtain a license.

“The bi-partisan Safer Communities Act said that if you are engaged in the business of doing firearms with a purpose to make a profit at it then you need a license and if you’re routinely buying guns or selling guns for a purpose of making a profit and you don’t have a license then that’s a crime,” House said.

It is also illegal to sell to citizens who are forbidden.

“The main thing is that you’re not knowingly selling it to someone that is a prohibited person and there’s a lot of different categories of prohibited people. People that are drug users or people that are felons or those that have been convicted of domestic violence, even a misdemeanor conviction of domestic violence. Those are just some of a list of things that might make a person prohibited and it’s certainly against the law, both federal law and Arkansas law to furnish a firearm to a prohibited person,” House said.

Furthermore, for legal purposes, firearms in the state can be traced back to the private seller even though they aren’t registered to a particular individual.

“It is important to know that if that firearm were to ever end up at a crime scene or something like that they are going to start a trace process where they go to the manufacturer and say, ‘Well who did you sell the gun to?’ And from there to a distributor and ask and then from there to a dealer and then that dealer may have to produce that 44-73 and say ‘Here’s the person that purchased the firearm from us’,” House said.

The U.S. Concealed Carry Association states that purchasing a gun with the intention of giving it to someone who isn’t permitted to own one or who consciously doesn’t want their identity attached to a transaction is seen as a straw purchase that is illegal.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, selling firearms at an out-of-state gun show is prohibited unless the item being sold is a curio or antique.