Owasso police receive donation to buy rifles
BY RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
1/23/13 at 11:12 AM
OWASSO – An Owasso couple donated $30,725 on Wednesday to the Owasso Police Department for the purchase of 30 rifles.
The money from Barbara and Lynn Owens, who own Frontier International Trucks in Tulsa, will be used to buy Colt M4 carbines with flashlight mounts and flashlights. The rifles also are known as AR-15s.
Sensitive to the Sandy Hook tragedy, Lynn Owens said discussion about the donation began in October, well before a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at the Connecticut elementary school Dec. 14.
“I have grandchildren here. I have children here,” Lynn Owens said. “I have a lot of friends. We just figured it would be better if we figured out some way to make everybody safe. It’s an issue with everybody today.
“This is the one gift that Barbara and I hope is never used. ... But it offers something that Owasso doesn’t have.”
Patrol officers and school resource officers will be assigned the rifles. Many of the officers receiving the rifles are on the department’s SWAT team.
