Oklahoma governor vetoes gun carry bill in defeat for NRA

[The Legion]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/11/oklahoma-governor-vetoes-gun-carry-bill-in-defeat-for-nra.html

 

Published May 11, 2018

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY –  Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed a bill late Friday that would have authorized adults to carry firearms without a permit or training, dealing a rare defeat to the National Rifle Association in a conservative state.

The veto comes after opposition from the business community and law enforcement authorities, including top officials with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation who have said it could erode public safety.

The NRA had supported the bill's passage and had urged Fallin to sign it.

In a statement announcing her veto, Fallin stressed her support for the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms and noted she had signed concealed and open carry measures in the past.

"I believe the firearms laws we currently have in place are effective, appropriate and minimal," she said. But she added that the bill would have eliminated the requirement for a training course and reduced the level of background checks to carry a gun.

The bill is similar to so-called "constitutional carry" legislation adopted in a dozen other states. It would have authorized people 21 and older and military personnel who are at least 18 to legally carry a handgun, either openly or concealed, without a state-issued license or permit.

The state currently requires a license to carry a handgun openly or concealed.

The bureau of investigation, which issues handgun licenses, had said the bill would cost the agency about $4.7 million annually and result in the loss of about 60 full-time positions.

"The impact on public safety is unquantifiable," bureau Director Bob Ricks said in a statement.

Many business leaders, including local chambers of commerce, also opposed the bill, giving the governor — who cannot run for re-election under term limits — plenty of political cover to veto it.

The Legislature already has adjourned its session so lawmakers will not be able to revisit the issue until next year after the election of a new governor.

The hot-button issue of gun rights energizes Republican voters, particularly those in Republican primaries, said Trebor Worthen, a Republican political strategist.

Several Republican candidates to succeed Fallin as governor urged her this week to sign it.

"Republican voters believe in the Second Amendment and they believe they should be able to exercise that right with as little interference from the government as possible," Worthen said. "Especially in more rural areas."

Fallin has vetoed gun bills before. In 2014, she vetoed a bill requiring state authorities to sign off on applications for federally-regulated items such as silencers, short-barreled rifles and automatic weapons within 15 days. But the Legislature overrode her veto and the bill became law anyway. In 2015, she vetoed legislation that restricted businesses from banning guns at parks, fairgrounds and recreational areas, a veto that remained in place.

[Ugly]

"It could erode public safety"

It is more likely it would have enhanced it. 

She is a sell out!

[Grunt67]

Key part.......4.7Mil + 60 jobs lost. Safety had nothing to do with it. Try whittling down on the cost of a HCP here & see how that goes. Not happening. Once a state gets their greedy paws on some money ( tax ), it never lets go.

[DaveTN]

17 hours ago, The Legion said:

The bureau of investigation, which issues handgun licenses, had said the bill would cost the agency about $4.7 million annually and result in the loss of about 60 full-time positions.

That money and those jobs are obviously more important to her than the citizens’ basic right to protect themselves and their families.

However I doubt those numbers are accurate. I think most carry permit holders would continue to get permits because they would be required by other states.

I wonder if her veto can be overridden?

[Erik88]

Republican governors are on a roll lately...

[4Freedom]

It's RINO scum like Governor Mary Failing and Governor Rick Snott that inspired me to leave the Republican party and not look back.  In my opinion, the Libertarian party is truly the only real pro-gun party in America. Many people are seriously deceived to think the Republican party was a historically pro-gun party. In fact, the Republican party was staunchly anti-gun and politicians like Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Rudolph Giuliani were some of the most vehemently anti-gun politicians in the history of our country. In fact, we can thank people like Reagan and Bush for helping push our first "Assault Weapon Ban".

The fact that the Republican party magically became pro-gun after the Clinton era was more about opportunity to gain votes rather than a deep inherent moral belief in the 2nd Amendment. So, once these Republicans got your votes secured and have a strong grip on their political office than their true colors come to the surface and they will push their agenda of increasing the power of the bureaucracy, which so many Republicans and almost all Democrats support. There are many so-called Tea Party Republicans who support Extreme Risk Protection Orders at the federal level. So much for the 2nd Amendment, as ERPOs basically make the 2nd Amendment null and void.

Many Americans are pretty much brainwashed sheep who don't believe they can support any other party and must keep voting for the same liars with all their bold promises and smooth political discourse, only to be disappointed again and again. Until people are ready to become a bit more open-minded, make some sacrifices and fight the status quo of the two-party bureaucracy, we will keep having more and more of our rights compromised and removed. The Democrats are pretty straightforward with their anti-gun/anti-freedom agenda, which actually makes them seem like less of a threat to me than the Republicans who pretend to support our rights and freedoms. After these Republicans gain our trust, they rip all those freedoms they swore to protect away from us under our feet.

I am not stupid to think that in an election that I must only vote for the Libertarian candidate. So, my next best advice is to stop looking at the party names that so many of these lying, crooked, double-talking politicians like Rick Snott, Mary Failing and the rest of them have next to their name. Instead, look at their voting track record, the causes they support, how genuine of a person they are and political alliances. If they were staunchly anti-gun and then just a couple years before the election suddenly believe in the 2nd Amendment like a patriot, you may want to think deeply if they will still be so freedom loving and pro-gun once the marbles are all in their hand. I will say that gun rights come before almost all others for me, as the freedom of speech and religion are essentially tied together with the 2nd Amendment.

My feelings are that only a small minority of Republican politicians are worthy of my vote. Although, staunchly pro-gun Blue Dog Democrats like Conor Lamb would get my vote over RINO scum like Mary Fallin or Rick Scott any day of the week if the election was between these two candidates. Like I said, we need to stop looking at the party names and start looking at the individual politicians. THe more aligned a politician is to America's One and Only Constitutionally sound party, the Libertarian party, the more likely we can be assured that this person will defend our freedoms and liberties.

As of now, I think Rand Paul is one of the few Republicans I could even support anymore, although maybe there is a few others who I think won't turn on us, but it seems more and more of these so-called pro-gun politicians are turning on their voters once the pressure is applied and other factors like screaming liberal soccer moms and state finances (Constitutional Carry would have cost the Republicans in OK a lot of revenue, e.g.) are put into play.

Edited May 12, 2018 by 4Freedom

[btq96r]

On 5/12/2018 at 12:21 PM, Grunt67 said:

Key part.......4.7Mil + 60 jobs lost. Safety had nothing to do with it. Try whittling down on the cost of a HCP here & see how that goes. Not happening. Once a state gets their greedy paws on some money ( tax ), it never lets go.

Bingo.  This is a civil budgeting lesson for anyone paying attention.

Politicians don't carry too many personal opinions, they carry the water for monetary interests, political and private.  I'd imagine like Tennessee, the carry permit fees are a decent net positive into the coffers above their actual cost to the state.  Statements from the Governor and others are just fluff for the local news to report before they move on to the weather and sports.