Oklahoma Senate Bill Seeks to Ban Gun Shows

Earlsboro, OK -(Ammoland.com)- OK2A-Action has uncovered an attempt by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce to effectively outlaw gun shows at public venues statewide through one of the many bills filed for the upcoming Legislature.

Considering that last year the Chamber of Commerce lobbied heavily against SB41 – an OK2A requested bill that would have closed a loophole some cities were using to restrict the lawful carry of a firearms at city festivals – the Chamber apparently is quite comfortable in the company of other anti-gunners like President Obama, Michael Bloomberg, David Boren, and the Brady Campaign.

Senate Bill 1347 was filed at the OKC Chamber’s request and would bring to an end gun shows at publicly owned venues, such as the fairgrounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and countless other cities and counties across the state. They presented this legislative proposal to Senator Bingman as though it had the blessing of the NRA. It does not.

Current state law states that you cannot have a firearm in a public building in which the government is doing business with the public. The Chamber is proposing that the phrase “doing business with the public” be removed which means you could not have any firearm in any government building – for any reason at any time – which essentially outlaws gun shows at publicly owned venues. You could still have the gun show, but you couldn’t bring any guns. It seems the Chamber of Commerce is not interested in commerce if it is associated with the Second Amendment even though gun shows make a substantial impact on the economy.

They also propose changing the business owners’ rights to include making it a misdemeanor crime to carry a firearm into an establishment with a no-gun policy. It is currently a violation with a $250 fine. Some businesses barely mark their facility – either the signs are very small or they are not posted anywhere near the doors. It is not right to criminalize a person because they don’t see the sign. The current policy has worked well. No one has been cited for refusing to leave if a business has asked them to.

When these issues were brought to Senator Barrington’s attention (Senator Bingman asked Senator Barrington to file the bill), he immediately agreed this was a problem and has agreed to work with OK2A to make sure that the Chamber does not get away with this ridiculous attempt to infringe on our Second Amendment rights. Instead, we urge passage of OK2A-Action’s request bill, SB1057, which does not further restrict the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Please call the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and tell them you like your gun show and would like to keep your gun show! You can reach them (405) 297-8939.

Please call Senator Bingman and ask him to make sure that the Chamber does not get away with this attempt to bring Bloomberg/Obama style gun control to Oklahoma. Tell him to pass OK2A-Action’s request bill, SB1057. You can reach Senator Bingman at (405) 521-5565 or [email protected].

Please call Senator Barrington and thank him for standing up against the Chamber as they attempt to outlaw gun shows on public property. Urge him to hear OK2A-Action’s request bill, SB1057. You can reach Senator Barrington at (405) 521-5563 or [email protected].

Upcoming Group Meetings

The following is a list of OK2A local meetings for the month of January:

• Monday 1/25 – Ponca City
  • The Mission (909 E South Ave, Ponca City)
  • 7:00 pm
  • Program: Legislative update

• Tuesday 1/26 – Major County Sons & Daughters of Liberty
  • First United Methodist Church (109 W 1st St, Ringwood)
  • 7:00 pm
  • Program: OK2A-Action will present a legislative update.

About Oklahoma Second Amendment Association:

OK2A seeks to defend our Second Amendment rights and remove the infringements placed on it by our government.

For more information, visit: www.ok2a.org.