May 16--CLAREMORE -- It may appear the days of the Wild West are making a return but the new open carry law is not a free pass for gun owners.
Gov. Mary Fallin signed Senate Bill 1733 into law Tuesday making it legal for licensed "open carry" gun owners to carry firearms in open view of the public.
The law will go into effect Nov. 1 of this year.
"As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and a gun owner myself, I'm happy to sign this bill into law and grant law-abiding citizens the ability to openly carry firearms," Fallin said.
Before gun owners put on a gun belt, it should be noted this law is an extension of the Oklahoma Self Defense Act and only licensed individuals can carry a weapon.
To receive a license, applicants must take a firearms safety and training course and submit a background check to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Locally individuals can contact the Rogers County Sheriff's Office, Claremore Police Department or Bill's Sporting Goods for more information regarding the licensing process.
Convicted felons and those convicted of certain misdemeanors may not receive a handgun license.
Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton and Republican candidate Cole Butler both have their own opinions about the law.
"I am about the right to bear arms and constitutional freedoms," Walton said. "I however have great concern for this law and the position it puts law enforcement in."
The law could create more enforcement calls, create unnecessary distractions and interfere with public safety.
Walton also points to the loss of tactical advantage for individuals that currently carry a concealed weapon.
"There is a lot of 'what if' that surrounds the law and it will take some time to see how this plays out," Walton said.
Butler, a Tulsa police officer, is taking a different point of view.
"I don't see how open carry can be any more dangerous than concealed carry," Butler said. "As a law enforcement officer I approach everyone as if they are armed."
The real issue for Butler is the right to bear arms and the fact that state officials feel the need to write a law that gives a right that is already provided by the constitution.
"I have an issue with the state that they would have to give us a right protected by the constitution," Butler said. "The constitution has taken a beating enough as it is. We either believe in the Second Amendment exists to carry arms or we don't."
Butler believes that if an individual wants to carry openly they should have the right to do so.
Despite the opinion of law enforcement, gun owners are enthusiastic about the bill and Donna Lowe, owner of Bill's Sporting Goods in Claremore, is no exception.
"We are pretty much a gun enthusiast state, it deters crime more and open carry is not anything that will frighten me.
Lowe adds that people still have to take classes and have the proper permits. She also said that in the past 12 months she has seen more women are getting permitted locally then men.
In addition to the proper training, those that have a permit will not be allowed to carry in certain locations.
Business owners have the right to prohibit firearms on their property. The law prohibits the carrying of firearms on city, state or federal government property, in schools or college campuses, liquor stores and at sports arenas during sporting events.
Oklahoma joins Utah, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Hawaii and Massachusetts as a licensed open carry state.
Copyright 2012 - Claremore Daily Progress, Okla.
