Protecting 2nd Amendment Rights Moves to House Floor

A bill that would forbid employers from asking a potential employee if they own a firearm passed out of committee this week.

The legislation, House Bill 1025, is in response to President Barack Obama asking potential cabinet members if they owned or possessed a firearm, and if so, for its registration information on their background application.

Rep. Rex Duncan, author of the bill, criticized Obama’s question as an infringement on Second Amendment rights and wants to make sure no Oklahoma employers, both public and private, are allowed to ask a similar question on a job application.

“I was deeply offended by President Obama’s question,” said Duncan, R-Sand Springs. “I think Oklahoma employers are smarter than to ask a question like that as a term of employment, but this legislation will make sure.”

“It is inappropriate for any employer to exploit an employment application to determine a person's job eligibility or to breach their privacy and constitutional rights,” said Chris W. Cox, the executive director of the National Rifle Association - Institute for Legislative Action. “Gun owners and hunters are grateful for the leadership of Representative Duncan for his efforts to preserve their privacy and Second Amendment rights.”

The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee this week and will next be heard for a full vote on the House floor.

Under Proposed Law Obama's Gun Question Would Be Banned

Sand Springs Rep. Rex Duncan wants to make it unlawful for private or public employers to ask job applicants if they own a firearm, a move aimed directly at President-elect Obama's transition team questionnaire that seeks such information.

House Bill 1025 reads:

It shall be unlawful for any private employer doing business in this state to ask any applicant for employment information about whether the applicant owns or possesses a firearm. Any private employer who violates the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

B. All public employers and public officials within this state shall be prohibited from asking any applicant for employment information about whether the applicant owns or possesses a firearm. Any public employer or public official who violates the provisions of this subsection shall be deemed to be acting outside the scope of their employment and shall therefor be barred from seeking statutory immunity from any exemption or provision of The Governmental Tort Claims Act.

Obama's questionnaire seeks information about gun ownership and seeks to determine the applicant's degree of involvement with firearms. The question has been criticized by gun rights activists and organizations, including the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, and others.

Oklahoma colleges to fight concealed gun bill

The heads of Oklahoma's state colleges and universities are vowing to oppose any legislative efforts to allow concealed weapons on campus.

Legislation that would have allowed concealed weapons on college campuses was defeated earlier this year after college presidents and law enforcement officers said it would create chaos and even more violence on campus.

But the issue likely will resurface when the Legislature convenes next year, state Higher Education Chancellor Glen Johnson said Monday.

Johnson spoke to a group of college officials and law enforcement officers that make up the Campus Life and Safety and Security Task Force, formed after the 2007 shooting deaths at Virginia Tech.

House Bill 2513, which was defeated, would have allowed military veterans and others with firearms training to carry concealed weapons on campus.

Task force member Phil Berkenbile, leader of the state's CareerTech system, said guns have no place at schools. He noted recent controversy when a small Texas school district decided to let some teachers and staff carry guns.

"I don't think that's something we want to start in Oklahoma," Berkenbile said. "That's got to be a high priority."

Johnson said the task force will make clear in its upcoming report to the Legislature that it opposes weapons on college campuses.

The group also is planning to ask for about $16 million to improve safety and offer more mental health services on college and CareerTech campuses. The group may ask that the money be distributed through the state Department of Homeland Security.

Rep. Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, who introduced a measure to allow students to carry concealed weapons on campus, said Monday he would try again next year to give that right to at least some on campus.

His original bill was watered down so only military veterans and others with firearms training would have been allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus.

"I'm really committed to doing something to break up the gun-free bubble," Murphey said. "There's got to be a way to have an application of concealed-carry to a campus that at least makes it so that a criminal can't go into that environment knowing that the only people that are going to have guns are going to have uniforms."

GOA Congressional Voter Guide Released

With the election less than one month away, Gun Owners of America is doing its best to keep gun owners informed about who is protecting your rights in the Congress.

Many gun owners are familiar with the differences between the candidates at the presidential level, but how well do they know the views and actions of those who are running at the congressional level?

On the campaign trail, almost no candidates for Congress admit to being against gun rights, making the tasks of compiling the Gun Owners of America congressional candidate rating both more difficult, and more important.

GOA determines grades for candidates first based on any past voting record. Then, all candidates receive a detailed questionnaire. But what about those with no record and who were not open enough to return a questionnaire that would reveal their true colors?

In past elections such candidates could be assigned grades by simply going to a campaign website. Learning what a candidate thought about issues like banning "assault weapons" and waiting periods for handgun purchases was lurking behind a button labeled "gun control."

Not any more. For one thing, it's virtually impossible to find a link that says "gun control" on any campaign website. If a candidate mentions gun rights at all (and most don't) it is usually in the context of "protecting Second Amendment rights."

A reader will find comments such as this one, referring to the recent Supreme Court decision striking down the gun ban in the nation's capital:

"I agree with the Supreme Court's interpretation last week that an absolute prohibition against gun ownership violates the Second Amendment right for citizens to bear arms."

That may sound good at first blush, but a careful reading will reveal that this statement -- made by a former mayor who had considered joining other cities in suing gun makers out of existence in 1999 -- is almost meaningless.

Facing this kind of doublespeak, it is especially important that voters take advantage of tools like the 2008 Gun Owners of America voter guide.

The stakes are high in this election, as they always are. The main focus is on the presidential race. If elected, Barak Obama would be the most anti-gun president this country has ever seen, and his vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden is just as bad. John McCain has been all over the map on the gun issue, but he did choose a stellar pro-gun running mate in Sarah Palin.

While the White House may be up for grabs, liberal Democrats are in firm control of both chambers of Congress. With all the media attention on the race at the top of the ticket, it is important to remember that it is in the Congress where most of the battles over gun rights occur.