I'm speechless.  I just am.

I mean, I don't expect conservative rhetoric to come from Rep. Steve Martin.  This is the man who told a room full of 2nd Amendment supporters to "get over it" when he and Rep. Sue Tibbs killed Open Carry last session.  See below for the video in case you missed it last year.



But what Rep. Martin has done now is plain ludicrous. HB 2525 will allow police to pull you over... Not because you are speeding, not because you are driving erratically, but to check and see if your auto insurance is expired.  Click here to read the bill.

In fact, it can be the PRIMARY reason you are pulled over.

Don't get me wrong, I am current on my insurance and am a law abider (well, I have been known to drive a "few" miles over the speed limit).  But I also believe in this little thing called the U.S. Constitution.

Now I know Rep. Martin may be a little rusty on what the Constitution says, but there is this pesky little thing called the 4th Amendment.  And this is what it says...

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Basically, the 4th Amendment says that the police can't search our property or stop our vehicle without probable cause.  For example, if I am weaving in and out of the road, it's reasonable to assume I am impaired some way and the police can pull me over to determine if I am breaking the law.

Rep. Martin, please explain how the police can determine my insurance isn't current before they pull me over?  Do they have some newfangled x-ray device that can see through my car AND my wallet to read the date on my insurance card?

Plain and simple, HB 2525 is ripe for abuse and would let the police pull you over FOR ANY REASON THEY WANTED.  All they would have to say is that they were checking to see if your insurance is current.

I want the police to catch criminals, but I don't want to be harassed by an overbearing government.  There is a reason we have the Bill of Rights and it is to protect us from such intrusions from the government.  And for that reason, we must stop HB 2525 from becoming law.

This bill is being heard Tuesday morning so we need to call the members of the Public Safety Committee and urge them to vote no on HB 2525.  Here is the list of the committee members.  I urge you to contact as many as you can before Tuesday morning.

Representative Sue Tibbs, Chair	(405) 557-7379
Representative Steve Martin, Vice Chair	(405) 557-7402
Members:
Representative Ed Cannaday	(405) 557-7375
Representative Josh Cockroft	(405) 557-7349
Representative Doug Cox	(405) 557-7415
Representative Tommy Hardin	(405) 557-7383
Representative Chuck Hoskin	(405) 557-7319
Representative Fred Jordan	(405) 557-7331
Representative Charlie Joyner	(405) 557-7314
Representative Al McAffrey	(405) 557-7396
Representative Pat Ownbey	(405) 557-7326
Representative Pam Peterson	(405) 557-7341
Representative Brian Renegar	(405) 557-7381
Representative Paul Roan	(405) 557-7308
Representative Todd Thomsen	(405) 557-7336
Representative Steve Vaughan	(405) 557-7355

Our State Representatives swear to uphold the Constitution.  Now is the time to make them uphold their promise by voting NO on HB 2525.


David Tackett
Oklahomans for Liberty