LITTLE ROCK (AP) The Arkansas Senate on Monday voted to override Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s veto of a bill prohibiting local police from enforcing federal gun restrictions, moving closer to enacting the measure despite objections that it would jeopardize public safety.
The majority-Republican Senate voted 21-12 in favor of overriding Hutchinson’s veto of the legislation, which would impose criminal penalties on state and local police for assisting federal authorities in enforcing gun restrictions sponsors say violate the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The override attempt next moves to the House, where it needs a simple majority to pass.
Hutchinson vetoed the measure Friday, saying it would threaten cooperation between Arkansas and federal law enforcement. He also said it would jeopardize hundreds of criminal cases.
Lawmakers in more than a dozen states have introduced similar bills this year seeking to nullify federal gun laws. Arizona earlier this month enacted a nullification measure similar to the one Hutchinson vetoed. And several states passed nullification laws under then-President Barack Obama, but judges have found them unconstitutional.
Arkansas’ prosecuting attorney association over the weekend urged lawmakers to uphold Hutchinson’s veto, and the state’s Game and Fish Commission warned it could threaten almost $20 million in annual federal funding.
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