Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, recently received the 2023 Representative Minuteman of the Year Award from the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association in recognition of his aggressive defense of the right of Oklahomans to keep and bear arms.

Presenting the award was Don Spencer, president of the association. It was given at the Higher Plains Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, with several other legislators also being recognized.

“It was a privilege to be with Don Spencer and the whole group from the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association,” Olsen said. “I was honored to receive this Minuteman award and to be noted for my defense of our Second Amendment Rights both as Oklahomans and Americans. It was great to be with other conservative legislators and to receive the appreciation of a large group of Christian patriots.”

The annual award is given in appreciation to the legislator who was the most aggressive defender of the return of the God-given right to self-preservation by authoring and advancing legislation that reflects support for the U.S. Constitution and for Oklahomans’ Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms.

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

During the 2023 regular legislative session, Olsen authored two pieces of legislation dealing specifically with Second Amendment rights.

House Bill 1001 modifies the age requirement regarding the carrying of weapons to provide that anyone over the age of 18 may carry a firearm.

House Bill 1021 would allow individuals to carry firearms at the Oklahoma State Fair and the Tulsa State Fair.

The bills are still eligible to be carried forward in the 2024 session. They are in addition to numerous Second Amendment measures filed by Olsen in previous years.