Moms Demand Action, Everytown Celebrate Defeat of Dangerous Gun Bills That Would Have Threatened Public Safety in the State

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklah. — Volunteers with the Oklahoma chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, celebrated the defeat of several dangerous gun bills, including:

• House Bill 2322 and Senate Bill 275, which would have expressly allowed trial lawyers for the gun lobby and other out-of-state special interest groups to sue local Oklahoma governments and their officials for creating or enforcing local gun laws.
  
• House Bill 2323, which would have allowed people to carry loaded handguns in motor vehicles without a permit or criminal record check, and allow people from states that do not require a permit to carry a loaded handgun in public the ability to openly carry handguns in public in Oklahoma.
  
• Senate Bill 6, which was amended to allow people to carry loaded handguns without a permit in public.
  
• Senate Bill 43, which would have removed provisions that grant colleges the authority to notify the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations when a person illegally carries a handgun on campus.

“Today’s defeat of several dangerous gun bills proves that gun sense is alive and well in Oklahoma,” said Sabine Browne, volunteer chapter leader with the Oklahoma chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Oklahomans know that respecting and upholding the Second Amendment goes hand-in-hand with maintaining public safety. Bills that would have allowed people to carry loaded guns without a permit and punish local governments for seeking solutions to local gun violence would only leave more Oklahomans vulnerable to the threat of gun violence. We are thankful that our lawmakers made the safety of their constituents a top priority, and look forward to working with them next year to keep our state on the gun sense path.”

This legislative session, the Oklahoma chapter of Moms Demand Action launched a successful campaign to defeat these dangerous gun bills by:

• Organizing an advocacy day with gun violence survivors at the Capitol in February to urge the legislature to reject several gun bills that ultimately failed;
  
• Testifying before legislative committees in opposition to several dangerous gun measures;
  
• Driving hundreds of calls and digital messages to state lawmakers, urging them to reject reckless and unnecessary gun measures.