The Arkansas House on Wednesday approved legislation to end a long-standing state ban on the possession of machine guns and sawed-off shotguns.

The House voted 72-14 on House Bill 1820 to end the ban, with mostly Democrats in opposition. The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Justin Gonzales, R-Okolona, has said that people with a federal license can already own the weapons, and that some collectors in Arkansas may be unaware they are violating state law.

[RELATED: Complete Democrat-Gazette coverage of the Arkansas Legislature]

"Everything in this bill is highly regulated by federal law. There's no reason to have it in state law," Gonzales said.

-- John Moritz