Legislation to allow an individual convicted of a drug misdemeanor to obtain an open carry permit for a sidearm is headed to the governor’s desk after it was approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Senate Bill 164, by Senator Gary Stanislawski and Rep. Steve Vaughan was approved by a vote of 88-6. The measure will allow individuals with a misdemeanor conviction to apply for an open carry permit 10 years after they complete their sentence and/or parole.
Vaughan said he was pleased by the passage of the legislation.
“This was originally a constituent request although it touches many Oklahomans who have made poor choices in their youth and lost the privilege of a carry permit because of a small misdemeanor,” said Vaughan, R-Ponca City. “This legislation will help erase the stigma of youthful indiscretion and allow concealed carry permits for those who have paid their debt to society and wish to protect themselves and their families.”
Very good legislation. No one should have to suffer forever after they pay their debt to society, unless it’s a heinous crime.
It seems to me that something is strangely wrong with the notion that carrying a gun in the open ‘will help erase the stigma of youthful indiscretion’.