An annual meet-and-greet at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City turned sour when an anonymous senator demanded that the 40 sheriffs in attendance remove their firearms.

But rather than disarm, the sheriffs voluntarily walked out.

When given the choice, Wagoner County Sheriff Bob Colbert said, “We all packed up and left.”

“One of the senators, who they wouldn’t tell us, complained because we were armed in the building,” Colbert added. “Everybody in that building knew who we were.”

“It’s a pretty sad day for me. We’re the people that protect these people,” he said.

Colbert suggested Oklahoma might be in better shape if legislators focused on issues like the economy and the state’s finances rather than legal owners of firearms.