Went to the Arkansas State Capital with my family. Told security that I had enhanced concealed carry and showed my permit to him. He calls his commander and says your permit does not have “enhanced” on it so you will not be able to bring your firearm in. The Mississippi ECCP says instructor certified in red letters. It does not say “enhanced”. It seems to me between states they would know this. Just a little venting.
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Are you sure Arkansas accepts out of state permits for places that require an Arkansas enhanced?
As in, they could know other states have different permits but, does the law officially recognize out of state permits for places that require the Arkansas enhanced?
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Police aren’t required to know what the law actually says. Their main purpose is to find a suspect and arrest them. There is a place for enforcing justice, MHO, but I think that is different from what most LEOs do.
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I am an Arkansas CHCL Instructor, so this answer comes from my required training.
Arkansas recognizes a wide range of CCW or CCL from other states, including from Mississippi. But does not recognize any of them as equivalent to an Arkansas Enhanced CHCL. All permits or licenses from other states, no matter if they are basic or enhanced, are only equivalent to an Arkansas Basic CHCL.
You must have an Arkansas CHCL to qualify for upgrade to an Arkansas Enhanced CHCL.
Next: regarding LEOs knowing the laws. The last time I had to go to the Pulaski County Courthouse in Little Rock, he young deputy sheriff manning the entrance was totally familiar with the differences between Basic and Enhanced CHCL, but the older deputy who came by as I was about to go through the metal detector was totally ignorant of the existence and meaning of the Enhanced CHCL. He was only up on the prohibited places list for the Basic CHCL. So yes, be prepared for a LEO who is not up on current laws.
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Maybe that’s where I’m wrong. I’m thinking that enhanced in one state is equal to another state’s enhanced. Looking at the map and laws on uscca.
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Frustratingly, that confusion occurs all over the country. Best I can tell, there is no common understanding of what enhanced means on a permit or license. As as result, I think there are no states who issue enhanced permits that recognize any other state’s enhanced as equivalent.
As an example of the differences, when Arkansas created the Enhanced CHCL, they added more training and with it more privileges, like carry on public university campuses, in restaurants that serve alcohol, and into the state capitol. Tennessee, as a contrast, renamed their existing CCL as Enhanced, and created a lower level license that they named Basic. Confusing, eh?
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Thanks for the reply. To me that’s strange, it’s like saying yes you got your drivers license in Arkansas but while you’re driving in Mississippi your really not legal.
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Don’t even mention to an LEO like that that your knowledge is better/superior to his/hers. Ask for a supervisor as quickly as possible. It’ll be the only thing he will respect.
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It is.
Constitutional Carry is what it should be, of course.
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This☝🏽
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Out of curiosity, what are the requirements of your different licenses?
In Mississippi to get a enhanced you have to take a 8 hr course. Go through a background check.
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That’s already a difference, it seems, as Arkansas seems to require a 5 hour for basic plus 8 additional hours for enhanced
Additionally, that training must include Arkansas laws, which I doubt MS training includes.
So, it makes total sense that AR does not recognize an MS enhanced in place of an AR enhanced
Not that I agree with that, I don’t think any states should be able to require permits at all, but, this is the system currently in place.
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As @Nathan57 said, the basic CHCL in Arkansas requires background check with fingerprints (sent to FBI), a class covering basic handgun safety, state laws on carry and criminal use of guns conflict avoidance, prohibited places,and demonstration of safe firing of a handgun. There is no defined course of fire, so it is up to the instructor how much to fire and how accurately.
For the enhanced CHCL, there is at least 6 hours of class covering changes in the relevant laws, including added locations prohibited for Basic CHCL but allowed for Enhanced; and reiteration fo conflict avoidance; plus a live fire requirement of 50 rounds at multiple distances with a required minimum score.
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Here we have to go though finger prints. State and FBI background checks. A 8 hour class on state laws and range time with a set amount of fired rounds. To get enhanced. I think you don’t have to take a course for the standard concealed carry here.
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I feel fortunate, my state is now Constitutional carry, and I have been licensed to carry (other than a 2 week gap when moving states) continuously since 2005 without ever having to take a government mandated class or pay more than like $70 total or something like that to get a license from my home state.
I have had like 5 permits issues and none have taken longer than 2-2.5 weeks start to received
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@Kevin413 Welcome to the community. 
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