Oklahoma Democratic candidate challenges GOP rival to shooting contest
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tom Stites, a Democratic candidate for Oklahoma's House District 2, has released a video challenging his GOP rival to a shooting contest. (Facebook)
A Democratic state congressional candidate in Oklahoma has challenged his GOP rival to a shooting match to see who is better suited to support Second Amendment rights, The Tulsa World reported.
Tom Stites, a Democrat from Sallisaw, said in a video posted last week that Republican Jim Olsen “is (not) a real gun guy.” Both men are running for Oklahoma’s vacant seat in House District 2, which is located in the eastern part of the state.
“I’m sick and tired of being told as a conservative Democrat I can’t be pro-life or pro-Second Amendment,” Stites said, according to The World. “I think that if you talk guns, you had better be ready to back it up. So let’s go shoot it out on targets and see who wins.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stites has used the subject of firearms to chastise Olsen. In a video advertisement posted to Stites’ Facebook page, he said Olsen “(used) the Second Amendment for politics.”
“My opponent was born and raised in New York and moved here eight years ago,” Stites said. “We need to know if he really knows guns.”
Stites, an NRA member, has offered his farm for the potential shooting event. He suggested the event could be a vehicle for a charity fundraiser and organized by off-duty law enforcement officers, gun dealers, and local NRA members, The World reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Olsen has called the contest unnecessary, saying there that the two candidates were not running “to be the sniper of Sequoyah County, but we are running for state representative.” He has not responded directly to Stites advertisement, according to The World.
The general election is Nov. 6.