By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate on Tuesday advanced a bill that would permit cities to allow employees and elected officials to carry concealed firearms inside municipal buildings despite concerns it could increase gun violence.
House Bill 1095 would give local officials to decide if they want their employees to have the option of allowing concealed firearms, said Sen. Christi Gillespie, R-Broken Arrow, the Senate author.
She said county employees have been allowed the same right since 2017, and there hasn’t been an incident.
Gillespie said it is a right, not a privilege, to carry firearms.
“Bad guys don’t ask for permission,” Gillespie said. “So, it is making people that choose to carry more safe.”
But Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, questioned what evidence there is that such a move would make those facilities safer as opposed to more volatile.
Hicks said the measure may impact the comfort of constituents, including children, survivors of violence and those with trauma, who may feel intimidated or unsafe interacting with armed government personnel.
She said the bill prioritizes political ideology over public safety.
“In doing so, it sends a message that we are more concerned about expanding access to firearms than preserving trust in our public institutions,” Hicks said. “The unintended consequences of this bill are real and irreversible.”
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said that last year, 458 people were killed in their workplace by guns. The vast majority of those were employees killing fellow workers, Kirt said.
She said the measure exposes citizens to more workplace violence and dangerous environments.
Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, said studies indicate that having firearms in a building, often with people who are not trained, increased the risk of suicide and homicide.
“Impusive actions, when there are firearms in a building, tend to have more fatal consequences,” Brooks said.
Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, who supported the measure, said it was a local control issue.
“It was Benjamin Franklin who said that those who would sacrifice necessary freedom for temporary security deserve neither,” Bullard said.
Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, said every individual “has a moral right to defend themselves.”
“When seconds count, police police are minutes away. Vote for freedom,” he said.
The bill passed by a vote of 39-8 and returns to the House for consideration.
