By John Lyon and Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — The state House on Wednesday narrowly passed a bill to allow concealed weapons permit holders to bring their guns to church. Its fate will now rest with the Senate.

The Senate Wednesday approved measures that would prohibit drivers from texting, ban cell phone use by drivers under 18, and require drivers 18 to 20 to use only a hands-free cell phone while driving.

House Bill 1237, the church-guns bill, won approval on a 57-42 vote. The bill by Rep. Beverly Pyle, R-Cedarville, would amend state law to remove churches and other places of worship from the list of places where people with permits are not allowed to carry guns.

“Due to many shootings that have happened in our churches across our nation, it is time we changed our concealed handgun law to allow law-abiding citizens of the state of Arkansas the right to defend themselves and others should a situation happen in one of our churches,” Pyle told House members.

If the bill becomes law, churches could decide whether to allow guns, Pyle said.

Several legislators spoke on both sides of the issue. Rep. Steve Breedlove, D-Fort Smith, a Church of Christ minister, said he did not want to have to post signs or people at his church door to keep guns out.

“Having guns in church will not stop some lunatic from coming into your building and shooting somebody,” Breedlove said. “Ronald Reagan was completely surrounded by armed guards, but he was still shot. That is why we must put our faith in God and not in something else.”

Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville, spoke for the bill. She said bars and churches are the only places where the current law bans guns, and if churches are on the list for religious reasons, that may be unconstitutional.

“I knew it was going to be close,” Pyle said after the vote. “I just didn’t know how close.”

Pyle said she will now focus on winning over members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the bill goes next.

“I know that there’s several on there that support Second Amendment rights, but I also know that there’s some that will have problems with it,” she said. “We’re just going to have to work through that if we can move it forward.”

In the Senate, House Bill 1119 by Rep. Allen Kerr, R-Little Rock, which would ban cell use by drivers under 18 and limit drivers 18 to 20 to using only hand-free cell phone devices, was approved 35-0.

Under the bill, a person would receive a warning on first offense and could face up to a $50 fine on second offense, said Sen. David Johnson, D-Little Rock, who presented the measure on the Senate floor.

He said the bill was an amended version of bills filed by Kerr and Sen. Kim Hendren, R-Gravette.

The measure goes back to the House for approval of Senate amendments.

The Senate also approved HB 1013 by Rep. Ray Kidd, D-Jonesboro, which would prohibit drivers from texting.

The bill, which was approved 27-2, also goes back to the House for approval of amendments.

Sen. Denny Altes, R-Fort Smith, said the measure was filed in honor of Paul Davidson, who was killed last year in a wreck in which the other driver was sending a text message.

A driver caught texting would face a warning on first offense and a fine of up to $100 on second offense.

During brief debate, some senators questioned how an officer would be able to tell if someone was texting, or simply dialing a number on their cell phone.

The House also approved:

• HB 1046, aka The Freedom to Farm Act, by Rep. Roy Ragland, R-Marshall. The bill would prevent Arkansas animal owners from being required to register or enroll in an animal electronic identification program.
• HB 1148 by Rep. Clark Hall, D-Marvell, which would authorize the state Highway Commission to issue a special permit to allow vehicles transporting certain products to exceed maximum weight allowances.
• HB 1372 by Rep. Johnnie Roebuck, D-Arkadelphia, which would grant subpoena power to the state Department of Education and the Professional Standards Licensure Board.
• HB 1382 by Rep. Barry Hyde, D-North Little Rock, which would increase fines for misdemeanor offenses and allow cities and counties to collect an additional fine of $20 from a defendant upon conviction, to support jails and defray the cost of incarcerating prisoners.
• SB 33 by Sen. Robert Thompson, D-Paragould. The bill would prohibit the state Court of Appeals from issuing “unpublished” opinions, or opinions that lawyers are not allowed to cite in a filing or oral argument.