- THOROUGH BUT: Gov. Asa Hutchinson said this Democrat-Gazette story on gun deaths in the state was thorough, but it apparnelty didn't move him to support gun safety legislation.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported over the weeken[1]d that Arkansas ranks 7th in the country in gun deaths per capita, but that there was little legislative interest in a range of gun safety legislation being considered in other states.
He said he'd read the story, said it was well-reported. But he also touted a violent crime task force he urged to address gun crime in Central Arkansas. The gun violence statistics are not dominated by Central Arkansas, however.
He said he wanted state "databases" to be accurate and he said there was some interest in so-called "red flag" laws that would allow a court proceeding to prevent people who've exhibited a potential for harm from having weapons. But he said this law would have to be accompanied by adequate "due process protections."
Otherwise, he said, the laws being discussed would have little impact on gun violence — a position many dispute. He said others were "non-starters" because "they infringe on the rights of legitimate gun owners."
He was not specific. He cut the discussion short as off-topic during an economic development announcement, but it bears further study. Hutchinson, who's been
