Many students eager to hear result of tattoo bill

[Rat-tat-tat]

http://www.ocolly.com/read_story.php?a_id=30091

Many residents of Oklahoma, including a number of OSU students, are eagerly awaiting the final decision on Senate Bill 806, which would do away with Oklahoma’s status as the last and only state in the U.S. where tattooing is illegal.

The bill would allow for licensing and regulation of tattoo artists and parlors.

The measure was approved by the House on April 17 with a vote of 70-28. It will now go to the Senate for the consideration of several amendments and then make a final stop at the governor’s office.

The amendments pending approval by the Senate include a restriction on tattooing and body piercing to those 18 years of age and older or those under 18 with parental consent. Also under consideration would be the prohibition of tattooing and body piercing businesses being located within 1,000 feet of a school, church or playground.

Michael Pritchard, psychology and pre-med senior, has three tattoos, all of which he got in Texas. These include a tattoo that spans the length from his triceps down to his left ankle and has yet to be finished. It is modeled after the one seen on Ralph Fiennes in the movie “Red Dragon.”

He said one reason he was in favor of the passage of the bill is it would open Oklahoma’s market to a wider range of talent.

“The tattooing industry here is still on ground floor, and legalizing all aspects of it and placing it under the guidance of the Health Department would allow more talented artists to open businesses,” Pritchard said.

After having the work on his current tattoo finished, Pritchard said he plans to get another one. He said the current illegal status of tattoos in Oklahoma for him means having to drive a long way to get work on one done and costs him a lot of extra money because of expenses like gas and food.

“If there were quality tattoo parlors in this state, I would not have been required to drive eight hours for a tattoo,” Pritchard said.

Some tattoo parlors are currently open and operating in Oklahoma, regardless of the fact tattooing is considered an illegal practice in the state. Some of these include First Amendment Tattoo in Oklahoma City, Top Gun Tattoo in Midwest City and Eyewitness Tattoo in Tulsa.

Jaime Ivy, medical technology junior, said when parlors like Eyewitness Tattoo get fined or shut down by the police they just reopen and pay the fine. She said according to them, they have found a loophole around the law.

“They said the law says that it is illegal to tattoo permanent ink on one’s body for profit, but now since they can be removed, they aren’t technically considered permanent, so they just keep tattooing,” Ivy said.

Pritchard said some of the tattoo parlors that currently exist in Oklahoma, in spite of the ban, might be considered shady and untrustworthy as far as health practices are concerned.

“I believe that if the pending legislation was passed, the cleanliness and quality of tattooing would increase,” he said. “I often wonder how much money would be generated from the licensing and inspection of tattoo parlors.”

Chemical engineering sophomore Lori Lewis has one tattoo, an above-the-elbow armband of two dragons that she had done in Kansas City, Mo.

Lewis, a self-proclaimed “fan of tattoos,” said she plans to get several more once she is able to save up the money.

She said passage of the bill would be fantastic.

“I think that it’s about time that this state caught up with the rest of the U.S.,” Lewis said. “Our money pours across state lines to border tattoo parlors that overcharge for their services.”

She shares Pritchard’s opinion about the existing parlors in Oklahoma being untrustworthy regarding cleanliness.

“I don’t trust the so-called ‘underground’ tattoo parlors here because they are not regulated, and I’m not about to risk getting AIDS or Hepatitis or something. I’m going to get more tattoos whether the law passes or not — just not necessarily in this state.

“I believe very strongly that the legislators’ stalling for time is only detrimental to the health of Oklahomans, particularly Oklahoma’s youth. Specifically, it is no one else’s business, particularly some government official’s, to tell me whether I can ink my body or not,” Lewis said.

Some students are not concerned with the passage of the bill.

“I would never get a tattoo,” said Jenna Pain, public relations freshman. “It’s like a stain on your body.”

Ivy began getting tattoos when she was 16 and now has eight, including more than one done in Oklahoma. Her most prized tattoo is of a green vine with letters in the foreground spelling “POZN IVY” that covers the entire horizontal and most of the vertical length of her lower back. She said it took three two-hour sessions to finish.

Ivy said tattoos are addictive and “should definitely be legal.”

“If you can gamble, play the lottery, pierce your nipples and drink alcohol you should be able to get a tattoo,” she said.