On April 6, 2016, the Senate Rules Committee amended proposed legislation in Oklahoma that would enable anyone without a felony conviction over the age of 21 to open carry without the need to obtain a permit, and voted to pass the committee substitute bill as amended, and sent the bill to the full Senate for consideration. As of April 18, 2016, the amended bill has not been placed on the Senate calendar for consideration. If approved by the Senate, it would have to go back to the House for approval of the amended language.
There are a few more steps and hurdles that must be overcome before this becomes the law in Oklahoma.
According to Oklahoma U.S. Law Shield Independent Program Attorney Robert Robles, “The extensive amendments deleted references to the Self-Defense Act, deleted administrative penalty for certain prohibited acts, and set an effective date of November 1, 2016, should the bill become law.”
The Senate Rules Committee voted 10-3 for the bill that has been referred to as a “constitutional-carry” proposal. A license would still be needed to carry a firearm concealed.
To read the text of the committee substitute for HB 3098, click here.
In further gun-related action, the committee also approved House Joint Resolution 1009, calling for a public vote on whether to loosen Oklahoma’s gun laws by limiting the Legislature’s ability to regulate carrying firearms.
Law Shield will keep you informed as these efforts move their way through the Legislature.
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