Governor Signs Worksite Gun Bill

Senator Jay Paul Gumm today praised Governor Brad Henry for signing into a law a measure that strengthens the rights of gun owners and protects employers from lawsuits.

Among the dozens of bills signed by Henry late Wednesday was House Bill 1243 by Gumm and Rep. Greg Piatt.

The legislation, Gumm said, is supported by the National Rifle Association.

The Assistant Majority Leader in the Senate said the measure will exempt employers from legal liability if the use of a gun stored in a workers vehicle results in the injury or death at a worksite. Gumm said the measure supports a law passed last year that allows gun owners to keep a firearm locked in their car while they are at work.

Employers will now be protected from any legal liability when their employees exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, by having a gun inside their car in the company parking lot, Gumm said. Last year, 12 families in southeastern Oklahoma were left without an income that put food on their table for doing just that.

Gumm, a Democrat from Durant, said while the bill is aimed at protecting employers from legal liability, it also strengthens the rights of gun owners in Oklahoma.

To make tomorrow better for our children, Oklahomans should be able to protect their family without the fear of losing their job, Gumm said. It is a something granted to us in the Bill of Rights, and we must continue to find ways to protect those rights.