OK Senate Amends, Passes Open Carry Bill

Requirements for people who want to openly carry guns in Oklahoma were changed Thursday in one of two bills in the state Legislature to make it mandatory to have proof of training but not a firearm license.

The changes passed by the Senate Public Safety Committee would require those who want to carry guns in public to have a document showing they had instruction on the law and firearms training.

The new requirements were offered as an amendment to a bill that already passed the House and would require a person to have a license to carry a handgun, either concealed or openly.

Sen. Steve Russell, who sponsored the amendment, said the language that changes “concealed license” to “handgun license” is a problem.

“When we convolute the two, what we’re saying is you have to have a handgun license to bear arms and that is just not consistent with the Second Amendment and the intentions of our founding fathers,” said Russell, R-Oklahoma City.-[source]