Cotton Introduces Bill to Protect Arkansas National Guardsmen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
December 18, 2025

Cotton Introduces Bill to Protect Arkansas National Guardsmen

Washington, DC — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced legislation to create a 15-foot protective zone around any National Guardsmen in uniform performing domestic duties. The National Guard Protective Zone Act will ensure that any individual who attempts to intimidate or harass a Guardsmen will face consequences.

“The brave Arkansans who serve in our National Guard should be protected from deranged individuals. My bill ensures that anyone who attempts to intimidate or harass a Guardsmen will face the full force of the law,” said Senator Cotton.

Text of the bill can be found here.

The National Guard Protective Zone Act would:

• Create a federally defined “protective zone” (15 feet) around any Guardsman in uniform actively performing Title 32 or Title 10 domestic duties.
• Mandate that entering the zone with intent to intimidate, harass, or impede equates to a new federal misdemeanor.

• Establish as a felony the act of touching, spitting on, or throwing any object at a National Guard member while on duty, with a maximum penalty of imprisonment for up to five years.

###