Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Teenagers with Guns: Now We're Really Safe

Teenagers with guns: It's a headline bound to make us all feel safer.

That's right, Sooner fans, Rep. Jerry Ellis, flaking for the Oklahoma Rifle Association, is pushing a new bill to lower the legal age for the concealed-carry law from 21 to 18.

After all, the reasoning goes, if they are old enough to vote and serve in the military, they ought to be able to handle a concealed weapon, right?

Makes sense to us. But while we are doling out rights to teenagers, let's go ahead and legalize alcohol sales to 18-year-olds. Hey—they're old enough to vote and serve in the military.

Come to think of it, 16-year-olds can legally drive, so let's keep the gun (and alcohol) rights flowing. After all, don't 16-year-olds have a right to shoot back if they are attacked by crazed gunmen? Of course they do!

But, dang it, there's the problem of unarmed 13-, 14-, and 15-year-olds. Don't they deserve a chance to shoot back too?

Looks like Rep. Ellis and the Oklahoma Rifle Association have a lot more more work to do if they intend to put guns in the hands (and pockets) of every living and breathing Oklahoman.

We're Okies, after all, and we want our guns!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I still owe Dan a response on the earlier gun item, but I thought I would share some info here.

OK gun law is here (PDF format.)

On the Brady site, Oklahoma is rated 2 out of 100 (49th of 50 states.)

The reason we are rated above zero is the "Guns on College Campuses" item: Are colleges and universities forced to allow guns on campus? NO. See the list below for all the absurd thigs we DO allow.

Of note: in Oklahoma, you cannot carry where anyone is engaged in pari­mutuel wagering or where liquor is consumed. (What?! This is a travesty!)

Also, you can't carry in a meeting of any city, town, county, state or federal officials, school board members, legislative members, or any other elected or appointed officials. (Seems like that betrays a little nervousness on the part of legislators. College, great. Us, hell, no!)

OKLAHOMA STATE LAWS

Assault Weapons; Are there limitations on assault weapons? No

Ballistic Fingerprinting; Must handguns be ballistic fingerprinted prior to sale? No

Child Access Prevention - CAP; Are gun owners held accountable for leaving guns accessible to kids? No

Child-Safety Locks; Must locking devices be sold with guns? No

Childproof Handguns; Are only authorized users able to operate handguns? No

Gun Dealer Regulations; Must gun dealers adhere to state licensing and/or oversight systems? No

Gun Manufacturer Accountability; Do cities have authority to hold gun makers legally liable? No

Gun Show Loophole; Are background checks required at gun shows? No

Guns at Work; Are businesses forced to allow guns in the workplace? Yes

Guns on College Campuses; Are colleges/universities forced to allow guns on campus? No

Juvenile Sale; Is it illegal to sell handguns to anyone under 21 years of age? No

Large Capacity Ammunition Magazines; Are there limitations on large capacity ammunition magazines? No

License or Permit to Purchase; Is a license/permit required to buy handguns? No

Limit Bulk Purchases; Is there a one-handgun-per-month limit on sales? No

Limits on Concealed Handgun Permits; May police limit carrying concealed handguns? No

Microstamping; Must new semi-automatic handguns be sold with microstamping technology? No

Preemption - Local Gun Laws; May municipalities enact law stronger than the state's? No

Record Keeping; May police maintain gun sale records? No

Registration; Are all guns registered with law enforcement? No

Report Lost/Stolen Guns; Are firearm owners required to report all lost or stolen guns to law enforcement? No

Safety Standards; Are there consumer safety standards on guns? No

Saturday Night Specials; Are there limitations on 'junk' handguns? No

Shoot First; Is deadly force allowed to be a first resort in public? Yes

Universal Background Checks; Are background checks required on all gun sales? No

Waiting Period; Is there a waiting period on gun sales? No