Arkansas Gold-buying Law Fails To Ban “roadshows” As Intended

Ron Breeding with our content partner, KUAR-FM 89 News, reports on a quirky new law that could be filed under the category of "unintended consequences."

State Rep. John Vines (D-Hot Springs) passed a law to make "roadshow" metals buyers play by the same rules as pawn shops. In short, the traveling groups who buy and sell gold and silver would need to register with the police and retain items for 15 days before a meltdown or resale.

This was an effort to cut down on stolen jewelry being traded by groups without any known address in state.

The law requires that dealers have a permanent place of business, defined as a building owned by the dealer or leased for one year or more. However, the new law doesn’t mention where the building must be located, which could allow out-of-state groups to comply with Arkansas law.

Rep. Vines was unaware of the issue until questioned by FM 89 News… Vines says he’ll take another look at his bill to determine whether there’s "a problem with the way it was drafted or with the way it’s being interpreted."

You can read and listen to more of this report at this link.