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Message: <blockquote data-quote="vvvvvvv" data-source="post: 1474591" data-attributes="member: 5151">First of all, it hasn't passed the House, Senate, or Governor's desk yet, just the House Public Safety Committee.As I said in <a href="http://www.okshooters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111464" target="_blank">the other thread</a>, this is the bill that puts open carry on the ballot. That's a bad idea.The only reason that Tibbs et al are pushing for it to be a ballot issue is that they know it will fail. We can't even get half of the "pro-2A" crowd to agree on open carry, what makes you think it has a snowball's chance in hell of passing a popular vote? What our fine legislators are doing here is shirking their responsibility to legislate. When open carry fails on the ballot (and it will), your legislator will say "it looks like the people don't want open carry" when approached again about the issue.This is why I don't think that the legislature should be able to refer a measure to the ballot (other than a Constitutional amendment). The legislature acts as a check on a simple or small majority ruling over the minority. The people act as a check against the legislature through ballot initiatives that can enact or repeal laws in the event that the legislature is controlled by a runaway minority.The other bill that is very bad happens to be the one that the discharge petition was circulating for: HB1647. OK2A says that it contains open carry language. That language offers a defense to a person arrested for unlawful carry by carrying openly if they can articulate a "reasonable fear of bodily harm". That is far from open carry and far from good for Oklahomans.</blockquote>

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