State Rep. Eric Proctor said he will file legislation to repeal the sales tax on the purchase of guns or ammunition in Oklahoma.
“As Americans, we should not have to pay a tax to exercise our constitutional rights – especially our Second Amendment rights,” said Proctor, D-Tulsa.
The measure, by Proctor and State Sen. Kenneth Corn (D-Howe), will not affect any dedicated revenue stream for wildlife or other programs and the measure would have minimal impact on the state treasury.
“In Oklahoma, we have a long tradition of sportsmanship and hunting that precedes statehood and we should protect that heritage,” Proctor said.
He said the tax should also be repealed because it could be a barrier for those needing protection.
“People shouldn’t have to pay a tax to the government if they need a gun in the home for self-protection,” Proctor said. “No matter what, the responsibility to protect your family is greater than the state’s need to generate taxes.”
Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted today to give Oklahomans the opportunity to protect their right to hunt and fish by amending the state Constitution in November.
Senate Joint Resolution 38, by state Rep. Randy Terrill
(R-Moore) and state Sen. Glenn Coffee (R-Oklahoma City), would place a state question on the November ballot allowing citizens to determine whether the right to hunt and angle and take game and fish should be protected by the state Constitution.
"Oklahoma has a long tradition of hunting and fishing that precedes statehood by centuries," Terrill said. "Our right to hunt and fish is inherent and deserves constitutional protection, especially given the increasingly radical actions of liberal activist groups targeting outdoor gaming around the nation. This bill gives our citizens the chance to protect their rights from being taken away by people who have no respect for our traditions and values."
The resolution will add a new section to the State Constitution that gives all Oklahomans the right to hunt, trap, fish, and take game and fish. The legislation would prevent new state laws from prohibiting anyone from engaging in such activities.
The bill has received the support of both the Oklahoma Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association.
In a joint memorandum of support, Joel Partridge, Oklahoma State Liaison for the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, and Darren LaSorte, Manager of Hunting Policy for the NRA-ILA, urged lawmakers to support Senate Joint Resolution 38.
"Enshrining the right to hunt, fish and trap in the Oklahoma Constitution will protect the state's rich hunting heritage for generations to come against attacks from the well-funded anti-hunting interest groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)," Partridge and LaSorte wrote. "The group spends $120 million annually lobbying to incrementally stop hunting and animal agriculture across the country," Terrill said.
“I am very pleased that the House voted overwhelmingly to support this legislation to protect our state’s rich hunting and fishing heritage,” said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “Unfortunately, the rights of hunters and fishers are coming under attack across the country, such as efforts to ban fishing by declaring that fish feel pain. SJR 38 gives the Oklahomans a chance to vote to add protections for hunting and fishing to our constitution.”
The letter states that Senate Joint Resolution 38 will "provide truly meaningful protections against the animal 'rights' radicals." Partridge and LaSorte note that sportsmen generated $573.2 million in state economic activity in 2007 and created 6,755 jobs, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Senate Joint Resolution 38 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives today and now returns to the state Senate.
The House Environment and Wildlife Subcommittee voted today to give Oklahomans an opportunity to protect their right to hunt and fish by amending the state Constitution in November.
Senate Joint Resolution 38, by state Rep. Randy Terrill and state Sen. Glenn Coffee, would require the Secretary of State to place a state question on the November ballot allowing citizens to determine whether the right to hunt and angle and take game and fish should be protected by the state Constitution.
"I call this measure the 'Heritage Bill' because we have a long tradition of hunting and fishing in this state that precedes statehood by centuries," said Terrill, R-Moore. "Our right to hunt and fish is inherent and it deserves constitutional protection. It would be a mistake to turn a blind eye to the actions of liberal activist groups that are targeting outdoor gaming activities around the nation. This bill gives our citizens the chance to step up and protect their rights from being stolen by people who have no respect for our traditions and values."
The resolution will add a new section to the State Constitution that gives all Oklahomans the right to hunt, trap, fish, and take game and fish. The legislation would prevent new state laws from prohibiting anyone from engaging in such activities.
Award winning media personality and avid hunter and fisherman Ron Black told the committee than a 2007 study by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation showed the economic impact of hunting and angling on Oklahoma is more than $1 billion annually. In addition, hunting and angling keeps wildlife populations in check, reduces auto insurance rates by decreasing the number of deer that could cause accidents and protects agriculture land and products from destruction by deer and fowl, said Black.
Black noted that last year, more than 110,000 deer were taken during the hunting season.
"We tend to take for granted in Oklahoma that we will always have the right to hunt and fish and pass those traditions on to our families, but that type of thinking has been a grave mistake in other areas of the country where the right to hunt and fish has been restricted by states, if not taken away completely," said Black, host of the television and radio program "Wild Oklahoma." "Our traditional way of life is under attack by animal rights activists and liberal groups that don't understand the importance of outdoor gaming on our economy and our food supply. If we don't use the state Constitution to protect our right to hunt and fish, we won't have that right for very long."
Terrill noted the bill has received the support of both the Oklahoma Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association.
The measure now heads to the House Natural Resources Committee to await a hearing.
The State Senate unanimously passed Senate Joint Resolution 38 by Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee that acknowledges the inherent right of Oklahoma citizens to hunt and fish.
The resolution will add a new section to the State Constitution that gives all Oklahomans the right to hunt, trap, fish, and take game and fish. The legislation would not allow state laws to prohibit anyone from engaging in such activities.
“Our state has a rich hunting and fishing heritage that deserves protection. Sadly, the rights of hunters and fishers are under attack across the country. For example, in some states, animal rights activists are trying to halt fishing by seeking legislation declaring that fish feel pain. To protect Oklahomans from this kind of nonsense in the future, SJR 38 gives the people of Oklahoma a chance to vote to add the right to hunt and fish to the protections of our constitution,” Coffee said.
State Rep. Eric Proctor said he will file legislation to repeal the sales tax on the purchase of guns or ammunition in Oklahoma.
