Gov. Stitt signs nation's first anti-red flag law

(*Editor’s Note: House District 66 Representative Jadine Nollan voted in favor of the bill. District 37 Senator Allison Ikley-Freeman voted against the bill).

OKLAHOMA CITY – The nation’s first anti-red flag gun law is now on the books in Oklahoma to strengthen and protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights. Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, authored the measure, which was signed into law by the governor on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 1081, also known as the Anti-Red Flag Act, prohibits the state or any city, county or political subdivision from enacting red flag laws. It also prohibits the acceptance of any grants or funding to enact red flag laws.

“As other states have expanded infringements on the Second Amendment and other rights protected in our U.S. Constitution through their ‘red flag’ laws, I’m thankful we have a governor who has committed to protecting and defending our rights by signing Senate Bill 1081, the Anti-Red Flag Act, into law,” Dahm said. “Whether it is passing constitutional carry or opposing these stealthy attempts at denying our due process, I’m honored to be continually leading the charge to defend the rights of Oklahomans and am pleased to see us be the first in the nation to pass this type of law.”

Red flag laws have been passed in more than a dozen states across the country and permit police or family members to temporarily remove firearms from at-risk people who may present a violent threat to themselves or others.

Dahm said these types of laws are a serious abuse of constitutional rights, and he’s concerned the federal government may try to offer grants to states or municipalities to create such laws. The Anti-Red Flag Act prohibits this from happening in Oklahoma. 

State Rep. Jay Steagall, R-Yukon, is the House author of the bill and a 22-year military veteran.

“During each of my nine deployments I kept in the forefront of my mind the list of freedoms for which I was fighting,” Steagall said. “Near the top of that list is the right to keep and bear arms guaranteed to American citizens by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Red flag laws would circumvent our laws, stripping American citizens of their rights to due process under the law. As a veteran and an American, I could never let that happen.”

The Anti-Red Flag Act went into immediate effect upon the governor’s signature.