Worksite Gun Bill Backed by the National Rifle Association Passes the State Senate

A measure supported by the National Rifle Association that strengthens the rights of gun owners and protects employers from lawsuits has cleared another legislative hurdle according to Senate author of the measure, Senator Jay Paul Gumm. Gumm, (D-Durant) said House Bill 1243 passed off the Senate Floor with a bi-partisan majority vote.

The Assistant Majority Leader in the Senate said the measure will exempt employers from legal liability if the use of a gun stored in a worker’s vehicle results in the injury or death at a worksite. Gumm said the measure supports a law passed last year that allows gun owners to keep a firearm locked in their car while they are at work.

“Last year, 12 families in southeastern Oklahoma were left without an income that put food on their table when they lost their jobs for exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms,” Gumm said. “I believe if employers are protected from any legal liability of the use of those guns, we can prevent something like this from happening again.”

Gumm said while the bill is aimed at protecting employers from legal liability, it also strengthens the rights of gun owners in Oklahoma.

“To make tomorrow better for our children, Oklahomans should be able to protect their family without the fear of losing their job. Gumm said. “It is a something granted to us in the Bill of Rights, and we must continue to find ways to protect those rights.”