Coweta city councilors decided they don’t need to have guns in their meetings, at least not yet.
The council tabled an ordinance Monday night that would’ve given themselves the ability to conceal carry a weapon during meetings.
The Oklahoma Legislature passed the municipal carry act last year which gave cities the option to have city councilors while armed conducting meetings.
Coweta Vice Mayor and former police officer Jeremy Barnett says that having councilors carrying could lead to citizens being scared to speak their mind.
“They might be intimidated and they might fear to come talk to us, and I want to prevent that,” he said. “I want to be welcoming and open. I want to hear everybody's opinion.”
Broken Arrow and Miami have already passed similar ordinances.
Former Wagoner councilor Patrick Sampson was at Monday’s meeting. He brought forth a carry ordinance in Wagoner when he was on the council.
Sampson said he believes officials need to have guns due to his experience during the Saint Francis Shooting. He was carrying a weapon and left with his son from the hospital.
“I was very grateful that I left with my son to get him out of harm's way,” Sampson said during the council meeting. “I was also upset, because the fact that I was carrying and I could’ve probably prevented lives being lost.”
Wagoner’s council attempted to pass the ordinance but also set the measure aside. Sampson said this was due to concerns that council members lacked the training.
The upcoming public meetings on the proposed controversial Project Atlas data center led to a raucous atmosphere during the meeting.
Some residents questioned the timing of the municipal carry ordinance before two public meetings discussing Project Atlas.
Barnett agreed the timing was “suspicious” but said the council had been working on the ordinance for a while now.
Officials took advice from residents and will instead consider having a gun locker so that they can conceal carry to and from their vehicles, not during meetings.
The council will also consider receiving some gun training at a later date.
