Arkansas Law Enforcement

The rules on this vary from state to state but, a quick google search told me the following things. 

In Arkansas, if you have a weapon on you and you are stopped by an officer you are required to inform the officer that you are armed. Period.  However, state law does not say anything about officers taking control of your weapon. 

Here is where it can get a little confusing. The supreme court has ruled that “Officer Safety” allows an officer to take possession of a weapon during an “encounter” if they feel that it is necessary for their safety.  Currently the ruling does not define how quickly they must return the property to you. Please remember 4th amendment protects you against illegal seizure of a weapon. 

My thought and non-legal advice to you would be, if the officer orders you to hand over the weapon or tells you they are going to take possession of the weapon…don’t argue. Follow their orders and do as they ask. At the end of the stop, they should return the weapon to you, assuming you are not a criminal, have not committed a criminal act that would result in your arrest. If they do not return the weapon to you at the conclusion of the encounter, then you need to immediately contact a lawyer and get them involved.