Scott Hannaford's holster is empty, but he doesn't want to keep it that way.
The Tulsan is committed to extending Second Amendment rights, including passage of an open-carry law in Oklahoma.
To make his point, he wears an empty holster when he walks through his daily life - anywhere it would be legal to carry a gun if the state Legislature were to pass a pending open-carry law this year.
He wears it to stores and on the streets, and, yes, it draws a lot of strange looks, Hannaford said.
"It's a great conversation starter," he said.
Some people joke that he's lost something, but Hannaford said he's had a lot of good open discussions about what he believes and why he believes it.
In his efforts, Hannaford also is active in OK2A, a local gun rights group; writes on the opencarry.org forum; and carries on email conversations with people for and against gun rights.
His best argument for open carry is deterrence.
Criminals won't be willing to victimize armed citizens. Police are good, but they can't be everywhere, and openly armed citizens will naturally stop crimes from occurring, Hannaford said.
Oklahoma is one of only seven states without some sort of open-carry law, according to opencarry.org
Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, has proposed a straightforward open-carry law for consideration by the Legislature this year.
Open-carry law was the centerpiece of one of the most dramatic and controversial moments in the Legislature last year.
House Bill 1647 would have allowed people "in fear of bodily harm" to carry guns.
The bill had been bottled up in a House committee, but its author, Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, was able to use parliamentary procedure to force the bill onto the House floor as the deadline for its consideration came near.
In a confusing, late-night flurry of floor action, Bennett ended up mistakenly accepting an amendment that essentially crippled his own bill, which then passed, although some of those voting for the measure said they didn't realize what was going on.
The action essentially sidelined the issue for the rest of the legislative year.
Hannaford said he has hopes that this year the issue will be decided differently.
Oklahoma is a largely rural state, and most of the people are comfortable with guns and are ready to extend gun rights, he said.
If the law passes, Hannaford said he won't hesitate to fill his holster and then use that gun when necessary.
If it comes down to defending his life or those of his loved ones or even strangers, Hannaford said he's willing to step forward.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes to reduce crime and help those around me," he said.
Hannaford can be contacted at
ok2a2oc@yahoo.com.
Proposed open carry law
Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, has proposed Senate Bill 1092, which would allow Oklahomans who are at least 21 years old to openly carry loaded or unloaded shotguns, rifles or pistol, if they taken gun safety instructions from the National Rifle Assocition or other authorized instructors and carry a card verifying their training.
The guns must be carried in a holster that is wholly or partially visible or in a scabbard or case designed for carrying guns.
Under the proposal, guns could not be carried into government buildings, to government meetings, to prisons or jails, to elementary or secondary schools, to professional sports events, to pari-mutuel betting facilities or anyplace where guns are specifically prohibited by law.
Concealed carry
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation records show there are 121,841 concealed carry permits active in the state.
OSBI approved 24,018 permit applications last year.
The number of permits approved has declined from the 35,962 approved in 2009, but that year's number was up sharply from the 18,510 approved in 2008.
Comparing the numbers of permits approved from year to year is an imperfect gauge because the Legislature has changed the length of permits three times in recent years. Permits originally were valid for five years, but were later made good for six years and now are valid for 10 years.
Wayne Greene 918-581-8308
wayne.greene@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Open-carry bill to be revisited
