BY MICHAEL MCNUTT

A measure that states firearms made and kept in Oklahoma are not subject to federal law won easy approval Tuesday in the House of Representatives.

House Bill 2994 makes firearms, accessories and ammunition made and sold in Oklahoma exempt from federal regulation.

Rep. Ryan Kiesel, D-Seminole, questioned whether a state could assert authority over interstate commerce, one of the powers listed in the U.S. Constitution as a function of the federal government.

Kiesel said the measure could result in the state’s having to develop a registry of guns made in Oklahoma to keep track of the weapons, a proposal that most Oklahoma gun owners would find troubling.

Rep. John Enns, R-Enid, author of HB 2994, said his measure would apply only to guns made in Oklahoma. The guns must be clearly marked “Made in Oklahoma,” he said.

Anyone who took one of these firearms out of state could face criminal charges, he said.

With a representative from the National Rifle Association watching from the gallery, House members voted 89-8 in favor of the bill. HB 2994 now goes to the Senate.

Kiesel said those voting in support of the measure did so for political purposes in hopes of getting approval ratings from gun groups as well as possibly campaign contributions and support.

Enns said the Second Amendment guarantees the right of Americans to keep and bear arms, and further asserted that the federal government doesn’t have jurisdiction over firearms and their accessories when they are manufactured and used within a state.

via Oklahoma House tells feds hands off state guns | NewsOK.com.