An attempt to nullify federal laws on certain firearms in Arkansas has failed to clear a House panel.
The House Judiciary Committee voted 6-5 on Thursday in favor of the measure, but it needed 11 votes to pass.
The proposal would have made it a crime to enforce any federal laws enacted after Jan. 1, 2013, that regulate guns manufactured in Arkansas that stay within state borders.
It also would have required the state's Public Defender Office to provide free legal representation for any Arkansas resident charged with violating those federal gun laws.
Republican Rep. Bob Ballinger of Hindsville, the bill's sponsor, said the primary goal was to send a message to the federal government urging it not to pass any new laws that restrict Second Amendment rights.