Bills seek open-carry in Oklahoma

pryordailytimes.com ^ | 14 March, 2011 | Rep. Chuck Hoskin

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Last week marked the final days in which bills authored by House members could receive a hearing in hopes of their bills progressing to the full body of the chamber. Of the 1,209 bills filed this session, only 384 House bills survived the first hurdle of the legislative process and will receive further deliberation and debate.

The next legislative deadline looms as only 47 bills have received a hearing by the House chamber in the past three weeks, and the remaining 337 bills on General Order must be heard and passed off the House floor by the March 17 deadline.

Last week legislation was presented in committees seeking to expand gun laws or allow some form of open-carry in Oklahoma. The following bills won passage out of the Public Safety Committees this week:

HB 2087 would allow licensed faculty and administrators at colleges and universities to carry concealed weapons on campus, unless the university president banned the practice.

SB 858 goes farther in that it would allow anyone who has a concealed-carry license to bring a concealed weapon on campus.

HB 1652 would allow students, teachers and visitors who have permits to carry concealed weapons to take their guns to CareerTech centers and leave them locked in their vehicles.

HB 1690 seeks to establish the right to own any legal shotgun, rifle, handgun or weapon to any person who has previously been convicted of a violent felony if said offender has received a full pardon from the proper authority.

Lastly, HB1796 would allow Oklahoma voters to decide whether or not to authorize the open carry of firearms. Oklahoma’s population of over 3.7 million residents has only around 97,000 adults who are concealed carry license holders.

The next step for the above bills is a hearing before the full body of either the House or Senate, depending on the chamber from which the bill originated.

In recent years, the U. S. Supreme Court has issued some decisions regarding the Second Amendment. The Court has ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm, unconnected to service in a militia, for traditionally lawful purposes such as hunting or self-defense within the home.

However, the Court also has listed several longstanding prohibitions and restrictions on firearms possession that it found were indeed consistent with the Second Amendment. The Court has also ruled that the Second Amendment limits state and local governments to the same extent that it limits the federal government.

The task of legislative bodies at the federal, state and local levels is to balance Second Amendment rights of Americans with concerns for the safety and security of the same.

It is my pleasure to represent you in Oklahoma’s House and share legislative information with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or comments.

You may reach me by calling 1-800-522-8502; emailing chuck.hoskin

@okhouse.gov; or writing Representative Chuck Hoskin, State Capitol Building, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 509, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

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An overview of pending legislation concerning arms in Oklahoma.