Senator Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) is working to translate the promise of the state Constitutional amendment into law. He says he will keep on filing Constitutional Carry bills until one is passed.
In 2017, the Alabama Senate passed a Constitutional Carry bill, SB2, 26-8. In 2018, SB3 died in committee.
In January of 2019, Senator Allen pre-filed SB4, which is the fourth attempt to pass Constitutional Carry in Alabama.
Some commenters at appleseedinfo.org have claimed the problem is with the Alabama Sheriff's association. Sheriffs in Alabama administer the issuance of
concealed carry permits.
In the state of Alabama, concealed carry permits are issued at the county level. Sheriff's have discretion over how much they charge for the permits. By law, funds received for CC permits are collected by the sheriff & retained by him. They are not part of his normal budget. They go into a discretionary fund and the sheriff has sole authority over it. He can buy body armor or he can buy beer for an office picnic.Alabama carry permits are shall issue. They are only issued to Alabama residents. Alabama recognizes all other state carry permits. The cost of the carry permit varies from five to twenty dollars.
The Alabama Sheriff's Association has fought this for a long time with histrionic predictions of blood in the streets.
Alabama is an open carry state. Adults that can legally own a gun can carry pistols openly, without a permit. The difficulty with open carry in Alabama, is that people are not allowed to open carry in a vehicle, unless they have a permit. This makes open carry without a permit inconvenient and unsafe, as the law also requires that pistols carried in a vehicle, without a permit, must be unloaded and locked up.
Constantly loading and unloading a pistol when getting in and out of a vehicle increases the chances of an accident.
Alabama has a short legislative session, to limit the damage the legislature can do. This year it starts on the first Tuesday in March, and meets for a maximum of 30 days with a session limit of 105 calendar days. Alabama has a Republican Governor. Republicans have strong majorities in the Senate and in the House.
Constitutional Carry has strong support in the Alabama legislature. The Sheriffs Association also has strong support.
Senator Allen says he has the votes to pass SB4 in the Senate. From alreporter.com:
“Great crowd,” Allen told AM 770’s David Pinkelton. “I am a member myself. I am carrying a great bill: Senate Bill four. I encourage everyone to call the House members. We have the votes in the Senate to pass this.”
“Make that phone call to the Speaker’s office,” Allen said. “Fourteen states have passed constitutional carry. Where it has passed the sale of permits has gone up.”
Constitutional Carry will pass in Alabama when supporters of the bill overcome the opposition of the Alabama Sheriff's Association.
©2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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2 comments:
Dean, the problem IS with the Alabama Sheriffs Association. Our County Sheriffs don't want all that revenue to slip through their grubby little hands. In Madison County, where I live, the Sheriff's Dept. rakes in about $1 million annually from the sale of these unconstitutional 'permits'. The Association has fought this legislation tooth and nail every time that it has come up on Goat Hill. That having been said, Alabama is one of the more gun-friendly states.
Do You have to buy a permit to exercise your right to trial by a jury? Do you have to buy a permit to go to church? Do you have to buy a permit to speak? The Supreme court has ruled that all right are of equal value. All rights are federally guaranteed. Do you have to register your mouth or your Bible? then why the hell do you have to register or get a permit for your fire arm? Rights do not require a permit or a license. I have a list of the serial numbers of every weapon I own responsible owners do. It is a federal felony to steal a fire arm and a mandatory five years in prison for conviction. the owner of the weapon stolen needs to properly identify the weapon by serial number when reporting it stolen. No one else needs to know that number. they like to call the permits and license tax rights can not be taxed and in the constitution it states one state can not tax a person from another state. we are not a nation of opinion by idiots we are a nation of written laws that must be enforced equally and fairly. It has also been ruled an unconstitutional laws is void. Eminent domain is the right to cross this nation without encumberment. to cross any state border with all of your rights intact. State permits are unconstitutional and out of state permits are a constitutional civl rights violation. I believe those sheriffs departments could be forced to return all of the permit revenue.
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