Gov. Brad Henry today vetoed a bill that would have allowed Oklahomans to opt out of the national health care system and another measure that would have allowed them to wear handguns in public view.

House Joint Resolution 1054 would have prohibited any law or regulation requiring any Oklahoman to have individual insurance coverage. It also would have banned any state resident from being fined for failing to have health insurance.

The measure also would have authorized Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, and House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, to hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit against Congress, President Barack Obama and the head of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to prevent the recently passed federal health care legislation from taking effect.

In his veto message, the governor said HJR 1054 would have triggered a futile legal battle and a possible loss of federal health care funding.