Breitbart News sat down to get the lay of the land with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), who talked of his state’s love of freedom and how he welcomes gun and ammunition makers to make Oklahoma their home.
Stitt is heading to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show in January 2023. We asked him what he hopes to accomplish while there.
He said, “I just want to tell Oklahoma’s story, let everybody know that we are business friendly for gun and ammo manufacturers. We still believe in freedom in Oklahoma and we don’t put our constitution in the attic just because someone in Washington DC tells us to.”
Stitt stressed that Oklahoma stands strong on the Second Amendment, even when other states cave to the gun control lobby.
As we spoke, Stitt gave more specifics on why he believes Oklahoma is a great location for gun and ammo makers: “First off, our state is number 11 in the country right now of people moving to Oklahoma, not per-capita, but total numbers, because of our pro-business policy. Our regulatory framework is so business friendly.”
He pointed to the value of Oklahoma’s “quality of life to labor costs” compared to other states.
Stitt noted, “For example, us versus California, we are 430 percent less in housing cost than they are on the coast.”
After talking about his state’s pro-business framework and low cost of living, Stitt suggested the final point of the trifecta for Oklahoma is the state’s energy independence.
He said, “We are an ‘all of the above’ energy state. In other words, we’re number four in oil production, number three in natural gas, and we’re also number two in wind energy production. We create more energy than we use. We’re a chief exporter to what’s called the Southwest Power Pool.”
After outlining the economic, regulatory, and energy benefits of Oklahoma, Stitt spoke directly to gun and ammo makers, saying: “The first law I ever signed was constitutional carry, back in 2019. We have no restrictions on owning or using a suppressor while hunting. And another law that I think is very important to manufacturing is a preemption law we signed that forbids municipalities from enacting their own patchwork of gun control laws. A fear for some manufacturers is that some of the larger cities will try to go off on their own, so we actually prevent that from happening in our state.”
Stitt added, “We believe in the constitution in Oklahoma, there is nothing to worry about there. We are home to five military bases, and defense and supporting our military and law enforcement is very important to Oklahomans.”
This June 17, 2014, file photo shows an entrance to Fort Sill near Lawton, Oklahoma. (Sue Ogrocki, File/AP)
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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