James Keeton

Contributing writer

Soon, students of Southeastern may notice many locals carrying handguns openly in Durant. A new piece of legislation takes effect on Nov. 1 to allow Oklahomans who possess a concealed handgun license to carry their weapons in plain sight in many public areas.

Currently, the Oklahoma Self Defense Act allows for concealed carry, which means that a licensed person may carry a handgun, as long as it is not visible to others.

After this amendment takes effect, people who possess an Oklahoma handgun license will be able to legally carry firearms either concealed or in direct view of the public.

David Houser, the deputy chief of police for Durant, emphasized that one major change to the law relates to how the weapon is carried.

This does not affect how many weapons are on the streets, legally or illegally, as residents must still meet all requirements for an Oklahoma handgun license.

Houser stated that he is a supporter of the Oklahoma Self Defense Act, as well as the Second Amendment. He said his main concern with open carry relates to weapon retention, which is a person’s ability to keep someone else from taking their firearm.

“Police officers receive extensive weapon retention training and still, a high-percentage of them are killed with their own firearms,” Houser said.

Stacy E. Ballew, the chief of police for the Southeastern Campus Police, emphasized that the policy of no weapons on campus will not change on Nov. 1.

“It isn’t a good situation to have guns on campus. We wouldn’t be able to determine who the bad guy is in a crisis,” Ballew said.

Patricia Dewbre, an English major and a senior at Southeastern, said that she was not aware of open carry in Oklahoma but that she had heard of concealed carry. “If a person is of a frame of mind to use a weapon in an illegal fashion, then the law doesn’t matter to them,” Dewbre said.

“If I was asked to vote on this issue, I would say yes to allow people to carry openly. Making laws won’t stop people from breaking them.”

Stephiane Stovall, an English major and a senior at Southeastern, was aware of open carry in other states but did not know the law has been passed in Oklahoma. When describing her experience in Arizona, where citizens can carry openly now, she said open carry “seemed like it was cool but also somewhat unnerving.”

She said that armed citizens might deter violence but also said that there should be extra training required to carry openly.

According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, obtaining a handgun license requires participating in a class, where safety and legal requirements are discussed. The applicant must pass a written test and undergo firearms training at a shooting range.

Once certified, they must submit an application to OSBI, who will conduct an extensive background check on them. People convicted of felonies are denied a license and certain misdemeanor charges may exclude this privilege, as well as any dishonesty on the application.

Only residents 21 years and older can apply, as this is the legal age to buy a handgun in Oklahoma. You can contact your local sheriff’s department or other law enforcement agencies for information on how to obtain a license, including licensed instructors in your area and assistance with the application process.

The OSBI’s official website contains licensing information, as well as details on the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act at http://www.ok.gov/osbi/Handgun_Licensing/. You can request a copy of an application by mail from this web address.