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OKLAHOMA CITY — A Democrat seeking an eastern Oklahoma House seat has challenged his Republican opponent to a shooting match to see who is better qualified to support Second Amendment rights.

Tom Stites, a Democrat from Sallisaw running for House District 2, called out Republican Jim Olsen, saying he doesn’t believe the Roland native “is a real gun guy.”

“I think he is just using the Second Amendment for politics,” Stites said in a news release.

Stites and Olsen are vying for the vacant seat that came open after Rep. John Bennett, R-Sallisaw, decided not to seek another term. Stites previously made an unsuccessful bid for the seat in 2016.

“I’m sick and tired of being told as a conservative Democrat I can’t be pro-life or pro-Second Amendment,” Stites said. “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.”

Olsen said there was no reason for him to participate in a shooting contest.