Arkansas has no law that imposes a penalty on someone who fails to secure an unattended firearm and leaves it accessible to an unsupervised minor.

However, a parent must prevent illegal firearm possession or report the possession to an appropriate authority if he or she knows that his or her minor child is in illegal possession of a firearm in or upon:

• The premises of a public or private school;

• A public or private school’s athletic stadium or other facility or building in which school-sponsored events are conducted; or

• A public park, playground, or civic center.¹

For purposes of this provision, “parent” is defined as a parent, stepparent, legal guardian, or person in loco parentis or who has legal custody of a student pursuant to a court order and with whom the student resides.²

Arkansas has no law that requires unattended firearms to be stored in a certain way.

Arkansas also does not require a locking device to accompany the sale of a firearm, and no state statutes require firearm owners to affirmatively lock their weapons.

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1. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-27-210(b). Minor is defined as a person under 18 years of age. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-25-101(4).[↩]
2. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-27-210(a)(2).[↩]