This year isn’t quite over yet, but a legislator in one state is already making bold moves to further expand gun rights during next year’s state legislative term.
Oklahoma State Representative Jim Olsen, who also serves as the House GOP caucus Assistant Majority Whip, has filed two bills to make firearms more accessible.
House Bill 1001 aims to decrease the age requirement for carrying a firearm in the state from 21 to 18 years of age. Based on the way the bill is currently written, only those serving in the military, reservists, veterans or former military members who had been honorably discharged would be affected, not the general population.
The draft of House Bill 1001, which seeks to amend the existing Oklahoma Self-Defense Act in its current form would state that anyone wishing to carry a firearm would need to be “at least eighteen (18) years of age and a member or veteran of the United States Armed Forces, the Reserves or National Guard, or the person was discharged under honorable conditions from the United States Armed Forces, Reserves or National Guard.”
Representative Olsen told The Center Square:
“You can go in the military and use very lethal weapons (at 18 years old) … Additionally you can get married and you may want to protect your spouse or children.”
House Bill 1002 aims to make Oklahoma a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State,” protecting the state’s gun owners from having their firearms seized by federal agents. It would also give sheriffs the ability to arrest federal agents infringing on the gun rights of Oklahomans.
House Bill 1002 states:
“a county sheriff shall have the authority to detain or arrest any federal employee operating within the county of the jurisdiction of the sheriff while
enforcing any federal act, law, executive order, administrative order, court order, rule, policy, or regulation in violation of … this section.”
Oklahoma’s state legislative session kicks off on February 6th, 2023. The first reading of both bills is scheduled for that day.
Pray this bill is passed. IMO the most important language is this: “a county sheriff shall have the authority to detain or arrest any federal employee operating within the county of the jurisdiction of the sheriff while
enforcing any federal act, law, executive order, administrative order, court order, rule, policy, or regulation in violation of … this section.”