The United States is the only country in the world with more civilian-owned firearms than people. While most of the nearly 400 million firearms in the U.S. belong to law-abiding citizens, some portion of them inevitably end up in the wrong hands.

Every year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives traces hundreds of thousands of firearms that were either used, or are suspected to have been used, to commit a crime. While not all firearms used in criminal acts are traced, ATF data reveals that in every state, there is at least one city that appears to account for a disproportionate share of crimes involving a firearm.

The ATF traced a total of 5,301 firearms in Oklahoma in 2021. Of those, 2,054, or 38.7%, of all guns traced in the state were linked to crimes in Tulsa. Meanwhile, Tulsa accounts for only 10.4% of the state's total population, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2021 American Community Survey.

Oklahoma City accounted for the second largest share of firearm tracings in the state in 2021, at 33.8%, while Moore ranked third, accounting for 3.5% of all firearms traced by the ATF that year. Oklahoma City and Moore make up 17.1% and 1.6% of Oklahoma's total population, respectively.

All firearm trace data is from the ATF and total firearms traced by state includes only those in which a city or town was identified.

StateCity with the most firearms linked to crime, 2021Firearms linked to crime in city, 2021Share of total state-wide traces from city, 2021 (%)Share of total state pop. in city, 2021 (%)AlabamaMobile1,69419.23.8AlaskaAnchorage38648.439.8ArizonaPhoenix4,31735.722.5ArkansasLittle Rock1,08830.76.7CaliforniaLos Angeles8,03614.89.9ColoradoDenver1,85426.312.3ConnecticutHartford34921.63.4DelawareWilmington52431.27.2FloridaJacksonville3,1979.34.4GeorgiaAtlanta4,08320.04.6HawaiiHonolulu3026.124.2IdahoBoise33824.712.8IllinoisChicago9,58450.021.4IndianaIndianapolis4,62944.813.0IowaDes Moines59623.26.7KansasWichita1,71840.013.5KentuckyLouisville2,97743.814.0LouisianaNew Orleans2,01714.68.2MainePortland9117.75.0MarylandBaltimore2,63126.79.6MassachusettsBoston88827.69.6MichiganDetroit7,64462.06.4MinnesotaMinneapolis1,18325.77.5MississippiGulfport53311.32.4MissouriSt. Louis3,37833.14.9MontanaBillings28624.110.7NebraskaOmaha1,27256.825.0NevadaLas Vegas5,11075.920.7New HampshireManchester38554.68.4New JerseyNewark57012.23.3New MexicoAlbuquerque2,41858.826.7New YorkNew York City5,15050.043.4North CarolinaCharlotte3,83716.78.3North DakotaFargo18924.716.2OhioColumbus3,76318.27.6OklahomaTulsa2,05438.710.4OregonPortland1,33924.515.4PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia6,11339.912.3Rhode IslandProvidence32949.417.3South CarolinaColumbia1,78216.92.7South DakotaRapid City44653.68.4TennesseeMemphis6,44041.59.2TexasHouston11,60025.57.9UtahSalt Lake City45615.26.2VermontBurlington3916.07.0VirginiaRichmond1,34111.02.6WashingtonSeattle66611.99.5West VirginiaCharleston42425.02.7WisconsinMilwaukee3,45448.99.8WyomingCasper7324.610.2

(The Center Square) - Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma will submit a formal application to the Department of Energy for funding of their regional hydrogen hub.

The state's governors announced in March they were forming a partnership called the "HALO Hydrogen Hub" in hopes of securing millions in grants for developing, producing and using clean hydrogen for fuel and manufacturing feedstock.

The partners pitched their concept to the DOE, which encouraged them to submit a full application. The hydrogen hub could receive up to $1.25 billion of the $7 billion included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Six to 10 hubs could be funded, according to a joint news release from the governors of Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said the three states share the same goals in creating a hydrogen economy.

"The opportunities and abundant resources in Oklahoma complement our partners, and I am confident that our three state coalition can land this hub and become the nation's heartland for hydrogen," Stitt said in a statement. "Oklahoma believes in a 'More of Everything' energy approach and by leaning into the hydrogen future with our partners, we can further diversify our nation's energy portfolio and start meeting American demand with American energy."

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the three states have already invested in hydrogen hub components.

"HALO states already have a healthy infrastructure in place that is actively delivering the raw materials to our industrial base, which is in turn making use of that hydrogen feedstock – next steps will be making sure all that hydrogen becomes low-carbon and making it more available and accepted as a major energy source," Edwards said.

Applications are due by April 7. Awards are scheduled for the fall of 2023.

"Arkansas has a growing and diverse energy portfolio and natural resources that are vital to any successful regional hub,' Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. "We are proud of our partners and companies in Arkansas that are leading the way to develop demand for low-carbon hydrogen and showing that hydrogen can be commercially viable."

(The Center Square) - Public school enrollment in Oklahoma increased for the second year in a row but has yet to return to pre-pandemic heights, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

The latest OSDE numbers for the 2022-23 school year show 701,258 students enrolled in public school from Pre-K through 12th grade. That’s up by 2,562 students since last year and 7,145 students since the 2020-21 school year when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, according to OSDE data.

Before COVID-19, public school enrollment in Oklahoma steadily increased since 2010, reaching a peak of 703,650 the year before the pandemic hit. OSDE numbers show public school enrollment dropped by over 9,500 students in the 2020-2021 school year.

That trend was also observed in a report by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which found public school enrollment dropped in nearly every state. In Oklahoma, public schools lost thousands of students, while charter schools experienced an enrollment increase of over 29%.

Though the exact enrollment numbers in the National Alliance report varied from ODSE, the same trend was observed - a drop in public school enrollment around the first year of the pandemic, then gradually increasing again but not to pre-pandemic heights.

“Enrollment figures are calculated in many different ways. As such, other researchers, media outlets, and individuals may arrive at slightly different numbers based upon calculation methods,” the authors of the National Alliance report wrote.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister said the data shows families recognize the value of their local public schools.

“Our public schools are consistently implementing the Ready Together Oklahoma plan and other strategies to help students succeed in the wake of challenges spurred by the global pandemic. As enrollment steadily increases, it is important that the state Legislature ensure our educators are well-prepared to provide a high-quality education,” said Hofmeister.

(The Center Square) - An Oklahoma senator is proposing an incremental pay raise for the state's teachers in hopes of alleviating what some call the state's most severe teacher shortage in years.

Oklahoma began the 2022-2023 school year with more than 1,000 teacher vacancies, according to the Oklahoma State School Board Association's annual survey.

It's a situation that Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, a retired educator, thinks will worsen. He filed a bill to give teachers a $2,000 annual raise for the 2023-2024, 2026-2027 and 2029-2030 school years.

"We had 3,338 emergency certifications last year," Pemberton told The Center Square. "We're running about the same number this year. We can't find teachers, especially in the math and science areas."

Recruiting teachers is difficult when surrounding states pay more, according to Pemberton. The starting salary for an Oklahoma teacher is $38,074 a year, and the average salary is $54,762, according to the National Education Association. New teachers in Texas start out at $44,527, and the average salary is $57,641 a year. New Kansas teachers make slightly more than their Oklahoma counterparts at $39,100. But the average salary is $53,619.

Money is not an issue for Oklahoma, Pemberton said.

"Some of the budget is based on the barrel of oil price and I think our budget last year was written on $34 a barrel oil, which oil is still up around $50 a barrel. Even though it's dropped it's still way above what we figured the budget on," Pemberton said. "I think we're in a good enough financial situation that we can step out and do a little bit of something for our teachers."

The state ended fiscal year 2022 with a $2.8 billion surplus, according to Gov. Kevin Stitt. Alicia Andrews, chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, told The Center Square in August that money could be used for teacher salaries.

Pemberton's bill is not the only proposal lawmakers will have before them when they return to Oklahoma City on Feb. 6. The State Board of Education agreed in September to ask lawmakers for a $5,000 raise for state teachers. The raises would cost the state $310 billion and are supported by the Oklahoma Education Association.

"Oklahoma teachers currently earn 32% less than other professionals with commensurate degrees and have been stretched thin during an extended staffing shortage," OEA President Katherine Bishop said in a statement.

Another bill addressing teacher pay is also on the table. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, wants to establish a task force to determine how to award teacher raises based on merit or performance. The task force would report its findings on Nov. 30, 2024 if the bill passes. Bullard did not respond to a request from The Center Square seeking comment.

An estimated 1 in 3 American adults own at least one firearm. The most common reasons Americans cite for exercising their Second Amendment rights include personal protection, target shooting, and hunting. But with nearly 400 million civilian-owned firearms in circulation, some have inevitably fallen into the wrong hands, fueling a nationwide surge in gun violence. (Here is a look at the states where people buy the most guns.)

According to the FBI, active shooter incidents climbed by over 50% in 2021 compared to the previous year. Additionally, firearms were involved in over 234,500 violent crimes in 2021, a more than 30% increase from 2020.

Amid rising rates of gun violence, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives reported a spike in firearm trace requests from local, state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies. Guns that are traced by the ATF are typically those found at crime scenes. These guns have either been used, or are suspected to have been used, to commit a crime. It is important to note that not all firearms used in a crime are traced.

The ATF traced more than 453,500 firearms in 2021, up 16.2% from 389,300 in 2020 - and the increase is being driven by several states in particular.

Oklahoma is one of 15 states in which the rise in firearm tracings exceeded the national average. The ATF traced a reported 5,246 firearms in the state in 2021, up from 3,397 in 2020. The 54.4% increase ranks as the third largest among the 50 states.

The most commonly traced firearms in Oklahoma in 2021 were chambered for 9mm, .40 caliber, and .22 caliber rounds, in that order. These three calibers alone accounted for 60.3% of all firearms traced by the ATF in the state last year.

RankState1-yr change in firearm tracingsATF firearm tracings, 2021ATF firearm tracings, 20201Massachusetts74.5%3,1931,8302Rhode Island59.7%6614143Oklahoma54.4%5,2463,3974New York41.9%10,1987,1875Connecticut40.9%1,5961,1336Illinois28.1%19,08614,8977Florida27.3%34,33126,9668Ohio25.8%20,72316,4729Louisiana24.1%13,70211,04110North Carolina20.8%22,91818,97311California20.2%53,76144,70912Wisconsin19.2%7,0215,89213Texas19.0%45,35138,10914Tennessee18.2%15,33712,97015Kansas16.7%4,2733,66116South Carolina14.7%10,6619,29517New Mexico14.1%4,0603,55718Indiana14.0%10,3169,04919Kentucky13.9%6,7645,94120Minnesota13.4%4,5604,02021Wyoming13.4%28825422Alabama11.8%8,7977,86823New Jersey11.5%4,6404,16124Delaware10.7%1,6511,49125Pennsylvania9.9%15,18613,82326Arizona9.8%12,02710,95227Maryland9.4%9,7108,87228Idaho9.4%1,3451,22929Michigan8.6%12,27411,30130Nevada8.5%6,6876,16431New Hampshire8.1%69264032Utah8.0%2,9892,76733Colorado6.7%6,9546,51634Georgia6.2%20,35619,17235Missouri5.2%10,0969,59836Arkansas4.8%3,5163,35537South Dakota4.0%80677538Oregon3.8%5,3315,13839Washington3.2%5,4785,31040Mississippi2.2%4,6994,59641Nebraska1.9%2,1812,14042Iowa0.4%2,5552,54643Virginia-0.1%12,01912,03344Alaska-4.5%77881545North Dakota-5.9%75079746Montana-10.6%1,1251,25947Maine-17.9%49960848West Virginia-23.4%1,6712,18149Hawaii-24.1%11014550Vermont-26.1%232314

(The Center Square) - Oklahoma could become the latest state to saddle a drunk driver who kills a child's parents with the financial responsibility for the orphaned youth.

Rep Jim Olsen, R-Roland, says that House Bill 1003 could create a harsher reality for those who chose to get behind the wheel while intoxicated and cause the death of a parent in a DUI-related crash in the Sooner State.

Olson said the bill mirrors stricter DUI-related legislation being advanced in other states, more commonly known as "Bentley's Law," named after a Missouri child whose parents were tragically killed by a drunk driver.

"What this bill does is attempt to hold people accountable if they make a very bad decision to drive drunk and out of the consequence of someone's decision to drive drunk, they kill parents or a parent," Olsen told The Center Square. "Put more plainly, we don't want people going around driving drunk, but if you make that decision [then] okay, you then get to participate in the expense of raising that child or those children, who lost a parent as a consequence of your actions, until they are at least 18."

Child support payments could be extended to the age of 21 if the child is actively attending post-secondary school.

The determination for child support is similar to other statutes for accessing the financial need basis of the child. These include evaluating the resources and needs of the children and any surviving parents, the child's or children's determined standard of living, and any physical, emotional and educational needs of the child or children.

"It's a terrible, terrible thing when someone loses a parent, someone's father or mother, a husband or wife, to something like this," Olsen added. "This attempts to bring justice and restitution to the whole situation. While we can't bring a parent back, we can try to bring restitution in the form of caring for the child."

A nationwide initiative to enact similar laws was founded by Missouri grandmother Cecilia Williams, whose son, daughter-in-law and grandson were killed by an alleged drunk driver in April 2021, leaving Williams to care for her two young surviving grandchildren, Bentley and Mason, without financial assistance.

Tennessee became the first state to pass a "Bentley's Law" on April 20, 2022. The law in Tennessee, called "Ethan's, Hailey's and Bentley's Law," added the names of the surviving children of Nicholas Galinger, a Tennessee police officer killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver. Tennessee's bill also requires convicted DUI drivers to pay child support in fatal wrecks.

Additionally, several other states, including New York, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, and Connecticut, have been working on drafting similar "Bentley's Law" bills for the 2023 legislation season.

The Oklahoma Legislature will consider the bill when it convenes on Feb. 6.

"While it's always hard to say…I honestly cannot think of any real good opposition to this bill and to why someone would be opposed to it," Olsen said. "Honestly, I think it has got a good chance of making it to the governor's desk."

Update: Shortly after publication, Chief Justice John Roberts put an administrative hold on the order to end Title 42.

(The Center Square) – Chief Justice John Roberts on Monday put a temporary administrative hold on the Biden's administration's plans to end Title 42 enforcement this week.

Roberts gave the administration until 5 p.m. eastern Tuesday to appeal the decision, signaling that the full U.S. Supreme Court wants to decide the matter swiftly.

Roberts' order came after Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, in concert with 18 other states, asked the Supreme Court to prevent the Biden administration from ending Title 42 enforcement at the southern border.

Brnovich and Louisiana AG Jeff Landry “filed an emergency stay application” on Monday in a late attempt to keep the COVID-19 public health order in place. Title 42 allows for the quick removal of some foreign nationals who cross the southern border over pandemic-related health concerns.

“Getting rid of Title 42 will recklessly and needlessly endanger more Americans and migrants by exacerbating the catastrophe that is occurring at our southern border,” the Republican said in a statement.

“Unlawful crossings are estimated to surge from 7,000 per day to as many as 18,000,” he added.

However, his office noted in a news release that a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. shot down a “similar request” on Friday to keep the policy in place.

Brnovich and Landry are joined by Missouri, Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming in the application to the court.

“That termination of Title 42 will cause enormous challenges is thus a view shared even by Federal Respondents’ own lawyers and the Administration’s most ardent supporters,” the application states.

“And the idea that the States will not suffer substantial irreparable harm as a result of the imminent catastrophe that a termination of Title 42 will occasion is therefore fanciful. Indeed, a different district has squarely held otherwise,” it continues.

The policy was intended to be temporary, but it has since become one of the main tools used by border authorities to mitigate the ongoing crisis. Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized the decision to scrap the policy.

If Title 42 is not ordered to continue, then it will end on Wednesday.

Border states such as Texas and Arizona have been preparing for a massive influx of border crossers if and when Title 42 ends.

(The Center Square) - Twenty-five governors signed a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to end the federal public health emergency in April, saying Medicaid costs are costing their states millions.

States received more money for Medicaid during the PHE but cannot remove anyone from the program's rolls until either one month before the PHE ends, the month it ends or the month after it ends, according to Medicaid.gov.

Biden extended the PHE to January and has not indicated when it will end. The governors said they assume the PHE will continue at least until April.

The governors asked Biden for an indication as to when he would end the PHE. Twenty million people have joined the Medicaid program since the PHE began nearly three years ago, and the states are faced with additional costs, they said.

"While the enhanced federal match provides some assistance to blunt the increasing costs due to higher enrollment numbers in our Medicaid programs, states are required to increase our non-federal match to adequately cover all enrollees and cannot disenroll members from the program unless they do so voluntarily," the governors said in their letter. "Making the situation worse, we know that a considerable number of individuals have returned to employer sponsored coverage or are receiving coverage through the individual market, and yet states still must still account and pay for their Medicaid enrollment in our non-federal share."

The governors said they have the "tools and information" to protect their citizens against COVID-19.

"You recognized this yourself in a 60 Minutes interview in September when you said, 'The pandemic is over,'" the governors said. "Additionally, the United States Senate passed a bipartisan resolution, 61-37, to terminate the national emergency on November 15, 2022. We agree with both your statement and the Senate's resolution – it is time we move on from the pandemic and get back to life as normal."

The letter was signed by the governors of New Hampshire, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.

Update: Shortly after publication, Chief Justice John Roberts put an administrative hold on the order to end Title 42.

(The Center Square) – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, in concert with 18 other states, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the Biden administration from ending Title 42 enforcement at the southern border.

Brnovich and Louisiana AG Jeff Landry “filed an emergency stay application” on Monday in a late attempt to keep the COVID-19 public health order in place. Title 42 allows for the quick removal of some foreign nationals who cross the southern border over pandemic-related health concerns.

“Getting rid of Title 42 will recklessly and needlessly endanger more Americans and migrants by exacerbating the catastrophe that is occurring at our southern border,” the Republican said in a statement.

“Unlawful crossings are estimated to surge from 7,000 per day to as many as 18,000,” he added.

However, his office noted in a news release that a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. shot down a “similar request” on Friday to keep the policy in place.

Brnovich and Landry are joined by Missouri, Alabama, Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming in the application to the court.

“That termination of Title 42 will cause enormous challenges is thus a view shared even by Federal Respondents’ own lawyers and the Administration’s most ardent supporters,” the application states.

“And the idea that the States will not suffer substantial irreparable harm as a result of the imminent catastrophe that a termination of Title 42 will occasion is therefore fanciful. Indeed, a different district has squarely held otherwise,” it continues.

The policy was intended to be temporary, but it has since become one of the main tools used by border authorities to mitigate the ongoing crisis. Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized the decision to scrap the policy.

If Title 42 is not ordered to continue, then it will end on Wednesday.

Border states such as Texas and Arizona have been preparing for a massive influx of border crossers if and when Title 42 ends.

(The Center Square) - Oklahoma's spending on health insurance benefits increased to $809 million in 2021, up by $160 million since 2014, according to a report.

The report presented to the Oversight Committee for the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency Thursday revealed cost containment strategies currently in use do not line up with health care's top cost drivers: hospital visits and prescription drugs.

Only two initiatives examined hospital prices, according to the report.

"LOFT could not substantiate the reported success of other cost savings initiatives by OMES-EGID (Employees Group Insurance Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services)," the report said. "For example, a member phone app is reported to have saved $500,000 annually through redirecting members from high-cost services to lower cost services, but there is no data demonstrating where and how savings were realized. The mandatory monthly fee for the app is included in HealthChoice's premium rate, which is the basis for funding employees' benefits."

Around 174,000 state employees, education personnel and their dependents were covered by the state-administered health insurance plan HealthChoice during fiscal year 2021. Employees from the education department made up more than half the participants, with 57%, according to the report.

Oklahoma is the only state in the seven-state region to fund 100% of school personnel health insurance benefits. Typically, school districts fund this, not the state, according to the report.

The legislature's spending on health benefits for school district employees increased by 91% since 2010, according to the report. This has a direct impact on the state budget, the report found.

"In 2021, the State's contribution to health benefits for state, local school district, and CareerTech employees accounted for 10% of all state-appropriated dollars, the report said. "The state's total contributions to health insurance coverage has increased by 25% since 2014."

HealthChoice premiums increased 3% from 2010 to 2021, the report found. Single coverage premiums were $5,314 compared to $7,391 in 2021. Likewise, family coverage premiums rose from $16,933 to $22,365 during that time.

The evaluation found HealthChoice has the lowest premiums and most extensive coverage among the health insurance plans offered by the state. It also found Oklahoma subsidizes employee health insurance at a higher rate than regional and national averages.

"Oklahoma has the highest state contribution rate in the region for state employees covered under self-funded health insurance plans. The state's contribution to employee health benefits has remained above both the regional and national market average for the last decade," the report said.