{"id":34935,"date":"2022-06-09T04:00:17","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T09:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=34935"},"modified":"2022-06-10T09:56:53","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T14:56:53","slug":"tulsa-mass-shooting-reignites-gun-policy-debate-in-oklahoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2022\/06\/09\/tulsa-mass-shooting-reignites-gun-policy-debate-in-oklahoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Tulsa mass shooting reignites gun policy debate in Oklahoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 6px; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/episode\/d9679104-5f04-4fda-81be-a823971357e2\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the afternoon of June 1, a man walked into a local gun store and bought an AR-style rifle. A few hours later, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/06\/02\/1102730347\/tulsa-shooter-bought-his-gun-hours-before-attacking-his-doctors-hospital-police-\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he used that rifle and a handgun he\u2019d purchased two days before<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to kill four people at a Tulsa medical center before turning the gun on himself.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This came just a week after an 18-year-old <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2022\/05\/25\/uvalde-shooter-bought-gun-legally\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bought an AR-style rifle and days later<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> massacred 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that came a little over a week after an 18-year-old, who had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/2022\/5\/17\/23104692\/buffalo-shooting-red-flag-gun-new-york\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">previously threatened a murder-suicide at his high school,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> purchased a semiautomatic rifle and killed 10 people in Buffalo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Oklahoma, someone is killed with a gun <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/giffords.org\/lawcenter\/gun-violence-statistics\/#state-oklahoma\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">every 12 hours<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the state ranks in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/everytownresearch.org\/rankings\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">country\u2019s<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.az-defenders.com\/best-states-for-gun-owners\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/worldpopulationreview.com\/state-rankings\/strictest-gun-laws-by-state\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for weakest gun regulations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As mass shootings continue to make headlines around the country, advocates for gun reform in Oklahoma have a long and uncertain road ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b>How did Oklahoma\u2019s gun policies get to where they are today?<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state\u2019s majority-Republican legislature has passed a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2022\/06\/03\/how-oklahoma-lawmakers-have-loosened-gun-regulations-the-past-decade%EF%BF%BC\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">series of bills<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> over the last decade to deregulate gun restrictions and strengthen ownership and use rights:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2012: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb1733&Session=1200\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SB 1733<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows for open carry with a permit.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2014: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB%201845&Session=1400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SB 1845<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows a person who\u2019s been involuntarily committed or adjudicated to petition the court to remove the disability that prevents the person from getting a gun.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2015: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=HB+2014&Session=1500\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HB 2014<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows designated staff members to carry firearms at schools.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2017: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB%20397&Session=1700\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SB 397<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows people to carry guns on public buses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2018: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=HB2632&Session=1800\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HB 2632<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows people to use the state\u2019s \u201cStand Your Ground\u201d law at places of worship.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2019: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=HB2010&Session=1900\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HB 2010<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows for concealed carry at parks and zoos.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB1081&Session=2000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SB 1081<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> creates the nation\u2019s first and so far only anti-red flag law, which prevents local governments from enacting red flag laws. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/06\/06\/red-flag-laws-test-evidence-that-mass-shootings-are-preventable\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red flag laws<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allow for household members, family and\/or police to petition the courts to confiscate guns from someone who is deemed to be a risk to themselves or others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2021: <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB631&Session=2100\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SB 631<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> joins other states in making Oklahoma a \u201cSecond Amendment Sanctuary State.\u201d This means if any government \u2014 federal, state or local \u2014 orders a buyback, confiscation or surrender of their guns, accessories or ammunition, the state would consider it to be an \u201cinfringement on the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One lawmaker who\u2019s been involved in Oklahoma\u2019s gun reform conversations throughout her 12-year tenure in office is House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman. Virgin said in the last few years, she\u2019s seen a dramatic shift in the legislature to \u201ca much more extreme position\u201d on access to firearms.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat I saw was that after President Obama got elected, this messaging from really national Republicans and the NRA became that Democrats were going to take your guns away,\u201d Virgin said. \u201cAnd so of course you saw that in the sale of guns and ammo, and you saw that, of course, with laws at the Capitol.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Virgin said the consensus on gun policy from the Norman Republicans she represents is mixed.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere are some of my constituents who would not like for me to support anything that deals with gun safety,\u201d Virgin said. \u201cBut I hear, though, from Republicans in my district and in other districts that are really fed up with the way that Republicans in Oklahoma are getting more and more extreme on gun policy. \u2026 That\u2019s the most common thing that I hear from Republicans, is that they support the Second Amendment. They\u2019re gun owners \u2014 but it\u2019s gone too far.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One organization that\u2019s served as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/covid-health-oklahoma-city-congress-don-spencer-016cf578ab9341159699c1bc62f52ab9\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">driving force behind much of the state\u2019s recent gun deregulation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association (OK2A). It describes itself as the state\u2019s \u201cleading advocate for Second Amendment rights.\u201d Virgin said the lobbying group has had a persistent influence in the legislature.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ok2a.org\/legislative-accomplishments\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">its website<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, from 2015-2021, of the 37 pro-gun bills OK2A helped pass, the group requested and wrote language for 25 of them.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere is this rhetoric that any restriction on gun ownership or the carrying of a gun is unconstitutional,\u201d Virgin said. \u201cAnd I think that\u2019s what OK2A believes, and that\u2019s what they advocate for at the Capitol, that any restriction, any regulation, any permitting \u2014 that that goes against the Second Amendment.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And OK2A\u2019s president, Don Spencer, echoed a similar sentiment from Virgin: when a Democrat is in the White House, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/11\/12\/business\/gun-sales-joe-biden\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">people buy more guns<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWith the threat of [assault weapons] being taken away, when Obama went in there in 2008, [sales] just completely skyrocketed,\u201d Spencer said. \u201cSo now, the amount of people that own them \u2014 and it\u2019s even going up even more because Biden is making his claims to take them away \u2014 and so [sales are] going to continue to go up even higher.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">President Joe Biden has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2022\/06\/02\/biden-speech-gun-control\/7484663001\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recently called for<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a ban on assault weapons, raising the minimum age to purchase these weapons, strengthening background checks and passing red flag laws.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the issue of banning assault weapons like AR-15s, Spencer said that type of gun is necessary for situations like home invasions, but also for much more substantial adversaries \u2014 like the U.S. government.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThat\u2019s why you need an AR-15. (\u2026) The worst case scenario of a tyrannical government coming to take away that gun,\u201d Spencer said. \u201cYou need that gun to stop them.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spencer said in the case of the Tulsa shooting \u2014 where 45-year-old Michael Louis used a handgun and an AR-style rifle \u2014 he thinks more facility security, rather than gun regulations, could\u2019ve stopped the attack. He also said one point is being left out of the conversation about the Tulsa shooting:<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPeople are so quick to jump to blame the gun and not the person, because they\u2019re not giving the gun credit for stopping this person, because they ended up committing suicide,\u201d Spencer said.<\/span><\/p><p><b>What do we know about gun ownership and gun violence?\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gun ownership has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-41488081\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased substantially<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the last few years. In 2011, Americans owned guns at a rate of 88 guns per 100 people. That number is now 120.5 guns per 100 people.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to firearm deaths, in 2020 alone, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-41488081\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more than 45,000 people<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the U.S. died from being shot \u2014 both from homicide and suicide \u2014 more than any other recorded year. It represents a 43% increase in gun deaths from 2010.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2018\/02\/15\/its-time-to-bring-back-the-assault-weapons-ban-gun-violence-experts-say\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data collected<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Columbia University research professor Louis Klarevas, for his 2016 book <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Rampage-Nation-Louis-Klarevas-audiobook\/dp\/B01KGK6C28\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2172OSDLOZ4MZ&keywords=rampage+nation&qid=1654024802&sprefix=rampage+natio%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rampage Nation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, show when compared to the 10-year period before the 1994 federal assault weapons ban took effect, mass shootings (defined as an incident with six or more deaths) dropped by 37%. After the ban expired in 2004, mass shootings increased by more than 180%. Fatalities jumped by nearly 240%.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As for the relationship between gun ownership and gun deaths, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2759797\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2009 study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> published in the National Library of Medicine found people in possession of a gun were about 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than people without guns. In assaults where the victim had at least some chance to resist, the odds of the victim being shot increased to about 5.5 times.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But overall, the results of gun violence studies are mixed and complex. For example, in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gvpedia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GVPedia-Permitless-Carry-Factsheet-FINAL-1.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">meta-analysis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the 35 most recent academic studies since 2005 on concealed carry, five studies showed a decrease in crime when concealed carry laws were weakened, while 23 showed an increase in crime.<\/span><\/p><p><b>What\u2019s it like for gun reform advocates in a state like Oklahoma?<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The national opinion on gun policy is divided on party lines. A recent <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ipsos.com\/en-us\/news-polls\/three-in-five-americans-disapprove-of-bidens-handling-of-economic-recovery\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ABC News\/Ipsos poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> taken after the Tulsa shooting found 90% of Democrats wanted to prioritize gun control laws. That number drops to around 40% of Republicans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Oklahoma, Democrats have butted heads repeatedly with a pro-gun majority legislature. A day after the Tulsa shooting, Oklahoma\u2019s House Democratic Caucus called a press conference in which they <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oudaily.com\/news\/norman-reps-oklahoma-house-democrats-call-for-gun-reform-following-recent-mass-shooting-in-tulsa\/article_d060cc7a-e2e8-11ec-a7d9-530dfc2353b8.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unveiled<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the Stand Against Violence and Extremism (SAVE) Act.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The measure aims to repeal several gun laws, including permitless carry, the anti-red flag law and the law allowing concealed carry in parks and zoos. It would also put in place new laws, like implementing a waiting period when purchasing guns, raising the minimum age to purchase an assault weapon and creating a statewide red flag law.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat happened in Tulsa is absolutely preventable,\u201d Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa, said at the conference. \u201cIt is unfortunate that this legislature is now focused on preventing mass shootings in the state of Oklahoma. Three years ago, I led [<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.koco.com\/article\/group-seeking-to-overturn-permitless-carry-law-falls-short-of-signatures-needed\/28929846\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the effort] to repeal permitless carry<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and we gathered over 30,000 signatures in 11 days. I truly believe that the state of Oklahoma believes in this.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kay Malan, a volunteer with the Oklahoma chapter of the gun reform advocacy group <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/momsdemandaction.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moms Demand Action<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, said getting gun control measures passed in the historically pro-gun state of Oklahoma is a tall order.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cUnfortunately, we really have an uphill battle in Oklahoma because our lawmakers tend to listen to gun extremists rather than responsible gun owners,\u201d Malan said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moms Demand Action is pushing for measures like red flag laws, universal background checks and raising the minimum age to buy a gun. While gun reform is a tough sell in states like Oklahoma, she said she\u2019s seen nearly 2,000 residents sign up to volunteer in the wake of the Tulsa shooting.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere\u2019s no one single law that will stop gun violence,\u201d Malan said. \u201cAnd so we need a multifaceted approach. We need more responsible people to put aside politics and opinions and work together to save lives as a moral imperative.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The word Malan uses to describe the group\u2019s work is \u2018relentless.\u2019 And as more mass shootings continue to thrust the gun policy conversation back into the zeitgeist, Malan said she feels an urgency to keep pushing forward \u2014 regardless of the pushback.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSometimes the work can get discouraging,\u201d Malan said. \u201cHowever\u2026 If we remain silent, if we get discouraged and we no longer speak and act and move our feet, who is going to do the work? Who is going to speak up? (\u2026) We have to keep on being loud in order to draw attention, because right now, the loudest voices from a minority group are coming from extremists. We need to be louder.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This article was updated on June 10 at 9:55 a.m. to correct a statement from &#8216;permitless carry&#8217; to &#8216;concealed carry.&#8217;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the afternoon of June 1, a man walked into a local gun store and bought an AR-style rifle. A few hours later, he used that rifle and a handgun he\u2019d purchased two days before to kill four people at a Tulsa medical center before turning the gun on himself.This came just a week after [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":34936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[1416,1415,1413,1414,1412,1410,1417,1411,174],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34935"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34935"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34951,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34935\/revisions\/34951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}