Greetings!
It was exciting to meet with legislators about working with the ORA to put together tax incentives on purchases of gun safes. This request came from both sides, including our Democratic constituency. We are also seeing more press on those left of center saying they own firearms.
Because who ever said one party could monopolize our Second Amendment?
From an article in American Experiment, one thing we’re seeing is that people are leaving states such as California, New York, and Minnesota with states such as Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma seeing an influx of people (Phelan, 2023). One observation is states with heavy gun restrictions are losing their residents and states with more gun freedoms are seeing population increasing. Could it be that people like to have the option of gun ownership to defend their families and property and that there is a correlation to gun control and increased crime?
With an influx of new residents this is both an exciting and critical time to be working without party lines on measures that support and reward responsible gun ownership. It is also a time to be vigilant in our work to preserve our freedoms with new people who are unfamiliar with what responsible gun ownership looks like and the benefits it brings to our state. Other states that thought they were in a great position surrounding firearms saw those rights whittled away after their population changed. Our work is now, and it is to show a better way to new Oklahomans so they do not change our approach to firearms out of ignorance and fear.
This is where I encourage each of you to do the work of building connection without judgement or party politics to those coming in, because in Oklahoma we do things better including our friendliness, hospitality, and the pride we take in responsible and effective gun ownership.
Phelan, John. (2023, December 23). Minnesota’s net loss of residents to other parts of the United States in 2022-2023 was worse than in 34 out of 50 states. American Experiment. https://www.americanexperiment.org/minnesotas-net-loss-of-residents-to-other-parts-of-the-united-states-in-2022-2023-was-worse-than-in-34-out-of-50-states/
