Amending the Oklahoma Constitution

Article 2, Section 26 of the Oklahoma Constitution (our state version of the Second Amendment) needs to be re-written. Thre are two reasons we believe this is necessary. First, the wording of the section itself is problematic. In addition to this, three court rulings have effectively nullified any protection provided by our state’s constitution. In fact, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has said, in essence, we only have as much right to keep and bear arms as this year’s Legislature decides we have. OK2A.org has filed legislation to address these issues in 2013 (HJR1026) and in 2015 (HJR1009). Both measures were held up by the State Senate.  We will likely refile this measure in 2016 or 2017.

If passed by the Legislature, the measure will go to the Secretary of State (not the Governor) to be placed on the next general election ballot for a vote of the people. Once adopted, the state courts will be forced to use the highest level of judicial scrutiny, referred to as strict scrutiny, when reviewing Second Amendment law.

Campus Carry

Gun-free zones do not work. Criminals do not obey the law, so only law-abiding citizens are disarmed by gun-free zones. Every time there is a mass shooting, the “left” demands more gun-free zones even though the mass shootings always take place in gun-free zones. Just because a person steps across an imaginary line onto a college campus should not mean that they have to surrender their God-given right to self-preservation.

The higher education lobby in Oklahoma may be content with our colleges being killing zones, but we believe the best way to keep our college campuses safe is to allow law-abiding citizens the ability to exercise their God-given right to protect themselves. For all the security measures our colleges and universities have in place, the police are still minutes away when seconds matter.

We call on the Oklahoma legislature to pass legislation to get rid of these imaginary lines. Pass Campus Carry.

Constitutional Carry

The historical truth of the “shot heard ’round the world” has been largely lost in today’s society. The first shots of the war for independence were not fired over tea or taxes. No! The British were coming to confiscate ammunition. Our Founders understood that if the British successfully disarmed the colonists, the move for independence would have been devastated and the crown would have been free to force whatever unjust policies they desired upon the colonists.

The Second Amendment was not ratified to protect us against robbers. It was meant to protect us from tyrants. Without it, all our other rights become privileges to be stripped away at the whim of whatever despot happens to be in power at the time.

While it is important to understand the original reason for the Second Amendment, it is also important to recognize other benefits of our right to keep and bear arms. Whether it is a criminal that would do harm to an individual or a terrorist who seeks to destroy our way of life, it is the unalienable right, in fact, it is the responsibility—the duty, of each one of us to be able to protect ourselves and our families. It is critical that the state recognizes the right law-abiding citizens have to arm and protect themselves.

Handgun Licensing Reform

While the Oklahoma 2nd Amendment Association’s ultimate goal was constitutional carry (this has now been achieved), we recognize that some will still elect to have a state-issued license for the purposes of reciprocity.

Now that Oklahoma is a constitutional carry state, we want to limit the burden of the licensing requirement(s) as much as possible. Therefore, OK2A seeks to lower the fee for an SDA handgun license and to streamline the licensing process.

Currently, the process is burdensome and the cost is prohibitive. By modernizing the licensing process, we can reduce the price and the wait-time to obtain a handgun license, thus making it easier and more affordable for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. OK2A advocates lowering the price to $25 from the current $125.

Finally, by moving to a NICS check-based license and limiting the license to 5-years, BATFE would grant a Brady exemption to Oklahoma. This means anyone with an SDA handgun license would merely show their license when buying a firearm from a licensed dealer in lieu of having a NICS check performed. This will shorten the time for the dealer and the customer when buying a firearm.