OKC, Norman Mayors Urge US Senators To Take Action On Gun Control

Mayors across the country are pushing for lawmakers in Washington D.C. to act on more gun control. Those efforts include some mayors here in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma City mayor David Holt and Norman mayor Breea Clark are two out of hundreds of mayors to sign a letter asking the U.S. Senate to take action on two bills that would amend the background check system to get a firearm.

“It's our residents that are being impacted. It's our neighbors. It's our teachers. It's our doctors. It's our children,” Clark said.

Mayor Clark said she signed this letter years ago to pass bills that would put more requirements in place to get a firearm. The letter was sent to the Senators again Thursday in response to the recent mass shootings.

Mayor Holt did not want to comment but he released a statement on Twitter.

“Oklahoma City’s prayers go out to the victims of the shooting in Tulsa, their families, the healthcare professionals affected, and all people of Tulsa,” Holt tweeted.

“How many more children? How many more people have to die before we decide that what we're doing currently isn't even the Oklahoma Standard, let alone the United States of America, should be handling what's obviously a health issue,” Clark said.

Senator James Lankford issued a statement on gun control legislation:

“What happened in Uvalde was horrible, evil, and absolutely heartbreaking. It deserves a thoughtful and careful evaluation of where we really are as a nation—not a rushed political response for the sake of just ‘doing something.’ We have a moral responsibility as Americans to respond to this moment while not jeopardizing clear constitutional rights,” Senator James Lankford (R-OK) in a statement.

In the letter, mayors are asking Senators to act on bills that would change the requirements for firearm transfers between unlicensed parties and extending the background check review period.

“Specifically, with the Tulsa shooting with red flag laws and banning automatic rifles that could've been completely avoided in that scenario right there,” Clark said. “Even if there was a waiting period, we could've saved lives.”

At this time, Governor Kevin Stitt’s office said it is not planning to amend the call for a special session schedule for June 13.