Why did the Founders of America embed the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

They understood the threat that came from a centralized federal government that could easily suppress an unarmed populace. The Second Amendment is the teeth that insures adherence to the First Amendment rights of free speech, free assembly, freedom of religion, etc.

Over the years, the federal government and state and local governments have built up a set of restrictions on the right for citizens to arm themselves. In Oklahoma, one rule was you have to have a state-issued license to carry a gun concealed on your person.

Most Oklahomans don’t have such a license and they don’t want one for a variety of reasons. Even though citizens can keep loaded guns in their homes and use them if someone breaks in and threatens them or their families, state statutes cause problems if unlicensed citizens leave their homes with a gun.

Progressives (mostly Democrats) want more regulation for guns in Oklahoma. They advocate for more “gun-free zones” and they want an increase in licensing and background checks for gun purchases.

Thankfully, lawmakers like Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, want to correct this overreach by reinforcing gun rights in state law. Former Gov. Mary Fallin talked like she supported gun rights but she vetoed gun bills that had passed both houses of the Legislature by wide margins.

Guns can’t protect honest citizens if they can’t be taken out in public. It’s time for Oklahoma to clean up its messy gun laws and reaffirm the rights given by the U.S. Constitution. Dahm’s latest bill is a good start.