As Oklahoma's gun access expanded, deaths from firearms increased

Just 44 days on the job, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed his first bill as governor, which allowed Oklahomans over the age of 21 to carry a gun without a permit or training. During the ceremony to sign the so-called "permitless carry" law, Stitt said it would expand the rights of Oklahomans while also making the state safer against gun violence.

“There shouldn't be any uptick in violence,” said Stitt, who was flanked by more than a dozen lawmakers there to show their support.

Since Nov. 1, 2019, when the “permitless carry” law went into effect, Stitt’s prediction has not come true.

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Gun deaths in Oklahoma have increased since the new law went into effect as the state has recorded some of its deadliest months in history, according to an analysis of state medical examiner data by The Oklahoman.

In the decade prior to “permitless carry,” there had only been 10 months with 70 or more firearm deaths. From November 2019 until this January, a 15-month span, there were 10 months with more than 70 gun-related deaths. This included 95 deaths in June 2020, the deadliest month in the 12 years of data examined.

In all, the average number of gun deaths per month increased nearly 20% compared to the 10 years before the new law went into effect, a period in which the population grew just over 6%.

Whether the state’s “permitless carry” law directly contributed to a rise in gun violence is difficult to determine. But as Oklahoma lawmakers have increased access to firearms over the past decade, firearm-caused suicides, accidents and homicides in the state have increased.

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Mass shootings in Tulsa, Uvalde and Buffalo spur new debate on gun control

Mass shootings last month in New York and Texas reignited a national debate over gun control, and a mass shooting that killed four at a Tulsa hospital spurred political proposals from Oklahoma lawmakers and advocates.

But mass shootings — events involving four or more people — account for very few of the firearm deaths in Oklahoma.

Since 2010, more than 8,600 Oklahomans have been killed by gun violence. It’s the equivalent of five Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombings happening each year.

The state’s death rate by firearms is the 12th-highest in the nation, according to national statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics.

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“The narrative of saying we need more guns is only creating a situation where more people are dying from guns,” said Joshua Harris-Till, an Oklahoma City-based gun control advocate who lost his sister to gun violence nine years ago.

Harris-Till was a volunteer leader with the Oklahoma chapter of Moms Demand Action, a position he recently stepped away from so he could run for office.

“I worked directly with folks who lost loved ones to gun violence, and when you hear these stories and see the families who are broken, that’s the reason why we have to continue to push for more laws and policies,” Harris-Till said.

'Permitless carry' bill was vetoed by Gov. Mary Fallin, approved by Stitt

While Stitt signed into law “permitless carry,” it came after a decade of state lawmakers expanding gun rights.

In 2012, the state Legislature and governor approved a new law allowing Oklahomans with a handgun license to carry a firearm in most public places.

Over the next several years, while gun deaths in Oklahoma continued to rise, lawmakers enacted dozens of other laws to expand gun access, mostly incremental measures that allowed firearms to be carried into more places.

In 2018, the "permitless carry" bill was approved by lawmakers and presented to then-Gov. Mary Fallin, who vetoed the bill. Fallin cited concerns from law enforcement about “permitless carry” and said the gun laws in place were already “few and reasonable.”

The next year, Stitt made the law the first signed under his administration.

The Oklahoman asked the governor’s office if it had looked at gun death and shooting data to determine the impact of "permitless carry" and whether Stitt had any policy proposals in response to the increase in firearm deaths in recent years.

“Governor Stitt is a staunch protector of the Second Amendment and will always fight to protect Oklahomans' constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” said Kate Vesper, a spokesperson for Stitt, in response to The Oklahoman. “Over recent weeks Governor Stitt has held school safety meetings with Commissioner (of Public Safety Tim) Tipton, Secretary (of Public Safety Tricia) Everest, (Secretary of State Brian) Bingman, and other state officials to examine what policies, laws, and procedures are already in place and which of those the state can and should better enforce, as well as examining any additional steps the state may need to take to keep our kids and schools safe.”

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House Democrats recently proposed a series of gun control measures, including the repeal of "permitless carry."

Some of the state's top law enforcement officials have also openly questioned the value of allowing most Oklahomans to carry a gun without training or a permit.

“When there is an overabundance of guns out there in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them, we are forced to go out and deal with that. … It causes us to be involved in more shootings,” said Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin, speaking this month to reporters about the challenge Oklahoma gun laws present to local police.

But Republican leaders have not shown an interest in any gun control measures.

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat said he had no regret over laws passed to expand gun access, including “permitless carry.”

“We are serious about public safety, we are also serious about protecting the Second Amendment,” Treat, R-Oklahoma City, told reporters this month.

Gun death rate on the rise in Oklahoma and much of the US

Firearm-caused deaths have increased in much of the country in recent years, including a 25% increase nationwide from 2015 to 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the death rate was highest in the Southern and central United States, where gun ownership tends to be highest, according to Pew Research Center.

In 2010, Oklahoma’s gun-caused death rate was 14.3 per 100,000 residents, based on data from the state medical examiner and U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

In 2020, the gun death rate was 21.7, one of the highest in the nation.

While the state's gun-caused murder rate has increased over the past decade, more than two-thirds of all firearm deaths since 2010 have been suicides.

“I'm just freaking mad, so angry,” said Kionna Millirons, an Edmond resident who lost her sister, who lived in California, to gun violence. “And it's hard (to make change), especially with where we live here in Oklahoma. I feel like it's a lot tougher.”

Harris-Till, the gun control advocate, said he believes the majority of people support background checks, waiting periods and other laws that would decrease gun violence, especially as the death rate increases.

“It never made sense that guns were supposed to make us safer from guns,” Harris-Till said. “But that’s what we are experiencing.”

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Oklahoma state government reporting is supported in part by a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation. To support work like this, consider purchasing a digital subscription to the Oklahoman today.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma gun deaths jumped after Stitt signed ‘permitless carry’ law