FIREARM REGULATION – STATE PREEMPTION

A. 1. The State Legislature hereby occupies and preempts the entire field of legislation in this state touching in any way firearms, knives, components, ammunition, and supplies to the complete exclusion of any order, ordinance, or regulation by any municipality or other political subdivision of this state. Any existing or future orders, ordinances, or regulations in this field, except as provided for in paragraph 2 of this subsection and subsection C of this section, are null and void.

2. A municipality may adopt any ordinance:

a.relating to the discharge of firearms within the jurisdiction of the municipality, and

b.allowing the municipality to issue a traffic citation for transporting a firearm improperly as provided for in Section 1289.13A of this title, provided, however, that penalties contained for violation of any ordinance enacted pursuant to the provisions of this subparagraph shall not exceed the penalties established in the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act.

3. As provided in the preemption provisions of this section, the otherwise lawful carrying or possession of a firearm under the provisions of Chapter 53 of this title shall not be punishable by any municipality or other political subdivision of this state as disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace or similar offense against public order.

4. A public or private school may create a policy regulating the possession of knives on school property or in any school bus or vehicle used by the school for purposes of transportation.

B. No municipality or other political subdivision of this state shall adopt any order, ordinance, or regulation concerning in any way the sale, purchase, purchase delay, transfer, ownership, use, keeping, possession, carrying, bearing, transportation, licensing, permit, registration, taxation other than sales and compensating use taxes, or other controls on firearms, knives, components, ammunition, and supplies.

C. Except as hereinafter provided, this section shall not prohibit any order, ordinance, or regulation by any municipality concerning the confiscation of property used in violation of the ordinances of the municipality as provided for in Section 28-121 of Title 11 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Provided, however, no municipal ordinance relating to transporting a firearm or knife improperly may include a provision for confiscation of property.

D. When a person's rights pursuant to the protection of the preemption provisions of this section have been violated, the person shall have the right to bring a civil action against the persons, municipality, and political subdivision jointly and severally for injunctive relief or monetary damages or both.

Added by Laws 1985, c. 28, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 1985. Amended by Laws 1985, c. 223, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1985; Laws 1995, c. 272, § 56, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Laws 1996, c. 191, § 9, emerg. eff. May 16, 1996; Laws 2003, c. 465, § 5, eff. July 1, 2003; Laws 2004, c. 220, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2004; Laws 2012, c. 259, § 22, eff. Nov. 1, 2012; Laws 2015, c. 241, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2015; Laws 2019, c. 1, § 8, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.