Carrying handguns in Oklahoma an easy process for those who qualify

More than 141,000 currently permitted to carry concealed will be able to carry openly beginning Nov. 1.

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Carry permit is easy to obtain

The new open-carry law in Oklahoma applies only to people assigned a permit to carry a gun by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

photo - At right: Michael Butler stands guard with his gun exposed at Absolute Diamond & Gold Buyers in Oklahoma City. The business is one of several that will continue to allow its employees and customers to carry their weapon concealed Thursday but will advise against open carry. Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman

At right: Michael Butler stands guard with his gun exposed at Absolute Diamond & Gold Buyers in Oklahoma City. The business is one of several that will continue to allow its employees and customers to carry their weapon concealed Thursday but will advise against open carry. Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman

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Police departments brace for open carry

Oct 26Beginning Thursday, gun owners with a permit will be able...

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To be eligible for a carry permit, a person must be a U.S. citizen, an established resident, at least 21 years old and must have completed a firearms safety and training course.

The bureau will conduct a background check, and an applicant must demonstrate on a questionnaire that he or she has no prior criminal record, no history of substance abuse and no history of mental health issues.

The bureau will check the applicant's name against a state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services database that maintains records of persons adjudicated mentally defective or involuntarily committed to a state mental hospital.

The bureau also will check the name of any applicant 28 years or younger with the state Office of Juvenile Affairs to determine if the applicant was adjudicated delinquent within the past 10 years.

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