Two foster parents are suing the state Department of Human Services in Oklahoma City federal court over an agency rule they claim is unconstitutional because it prohibits foster and adoptive parents from legally possessing firearms for self-defense.

The married couple, Stephen and Krista Pursley, of Moore, state in the lawsuit that they "are prohibited by the OKDHS policy ... from possessing or carrying firearms in their vehicles or while their foster/adopted children are present."

The Pursleys, along with the Second Amendment Foundation, filed the lawsuit against DHS Director Ed Lake. The Pursleys belong to the foundation.

The Pursleys claim the rule violates the right to bear arms found in the Second Amendment and the equal protection provisions in the 14th Amendment. They also state in the suit that it violates the Oklahoma Constitution.