Republican Oklahoma state representatives sent a constitutional carry bill from committee to the House floor on their fourth day in session.
House Bill 2597 would let individuals 21 or older or service members at least 18 years old concealed or open carry a firearm without an Oklahoma Self-Defense Act license. To get a license, applicants must complete a training course, demonstrate competency with their gun, pay a $100 fee and pass a background check.
Rep. Ben Loring pointed out to bill author Rep. Sean Roberts the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation would probably see a dip in gun-license fees collected.
"Do we have any plans or ideas as to how to make up the lost revenue that OSBI will have if this passes?" Loring said.
"There shouldn’t be a fiscal impact on that. We can look at that at a later point, though," Roberts said.
OSBI would be out $4 million to $6 million, and those fees fund more than the gun licensing unit, according to a fiscal impact statement.
Tulsa Regional Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Zack Stoycoff briefed city councilors on the measure last month. He said the chamber has concerns the bill will not allow venues to control their own security policies, which could scare off some big events.
"In Tulsa alone, I don’t know the NCAA’s economic impact off the top of my head, but if we were to lose that, that is a substantial loss. There is no shortage of cities that are willing to take those events off of our hands in surrounding states," Stoycoff said.
HB2597 as currently written limits the circumstances where property owners may restrict guns, but they can ban guns at events inside public facilities. It also allows for gun owners to be cited and fined $250 for carrying their weapon in a prohibited place if they were told before entering the property.
The measure passed the House Public Safety Committee on a 9–2 vote, with all nine Republican members in favor and both Democrats opposed.
A constitutional carry bill has also been filed in the Senate by Sen. Nathan Dahm. A similar bill passed the legislature last year but was vetoed by Gov. Mary Fallin.
