Permitless carry has taken another step towards becoming law in Alabama after passing the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Committee met on Wednesday to discuss House Bill 272 (HB272) by Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Satsuma). The bill seeks to allow Alabamians who are legally entitled to own a gun to carry a pistol concealed on their person or in their vehicle without a permit.
Senate Bill 2, the Senate version of the House bill by Sen. Gerald Allen (R – Tuscaloosa), had previously passed the committee in early February. The committee held a public hearing where proponents and opponents could voice their opinions on the legislation.
Law enforcement from various counties and municipalities spoke in opposition to the bill, stating that the legislation would make enforcing the law more dangerous by taking away a tool of law enforcement.
“It would take away some of our ability to protect our communities, with a tool [that] effectively removes weapons from the hands of criminals,” Jay Jones, Sheriff of Lee County said. “Criminals won’t obey the law, I agree 100%, that’s why we put them in jail. That’s why we take the guns out of their hands to keep our communities safe. That’s why we uncover evidence of other crimes that this current requirement allows us to do, and we would not be able to do that if it goes away."
“We have begged the Republican supermajority for a little tidbit of our freedom returned to us while other states are busy doing that exact same thing,” Eddie Fulmer, President of BamaCarry, said. “In Alabama, we are the ‘we dare defend our rights’ state, but we want people to prove and show papers that we are allowed to carry weapons for self-defense, or we are a criminal. I don’t think that we are so low in our citizenship that we should be asking the government if we can carry a weapon for self-defense. Twenty-one states have passed similar bills to what you are looking at today; no one has blood in the streets. Twenty-one states have debunked the scare tactics time and again.”
Many have criticized the bill for its ambiguous change of existing law concerning having a weapon on private property. Currently, if the owner of a business, or any property owner, may ask that a person leave their property if that person is carrying a weapon without permission. If the person carrying a weapon refuses to leave, they can be charged with trespassing and can be arrested. HB272 states that you may not possess a weapon on private property without the owner's express permission, which many have decried is an unrealistic expectation.
“It’s not inconceivable that some judge or prosecutor with a grudge [against guns] ... could use this language to go after gun owners for not first getting permission from every establishment they visit,” D.J Parten with the National Association for Gun Rights.
Luckily for those who had concerns over this issue, an amendment was offered to remove the language and keep the law as it currently exists. The amendment will be voted on the Senate floor and must be accepted by the House of Representatives before it becomes a part of the bill.
Another amendment was passed, which allows sheriff’s offices to apply for grants for lost income from pistol permits. The grant program has a three-year time limit.
Senator Will Barfoot plans to offer an amendment on the Senate floor that will give Law Enforcement the right to disarm a person in an encounter. He also stated that he would offer a “do not touch” amendment to impose penalties for touching a weapon during a police encounter.
The bill passed the committee with a vote of 6-4, one abstention coming from Sen. Greg Albritton (R–Atmore).
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
