Last week, Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey called on the Alabama Legislature to increase penalties for those who used a gun while committing a crime.
Bailey, whose district includes the city of Montgomery, which is undergoing a crime wave, voiced his frustration with the legislature on the June 28 broadcast of Alabama Public Television's "Capitol Journal."
"I think the legislature, to be honest with you, is also part of the problem," Bailey said. "There's some good common sense gun laws that — you know, I've had a gun bill up for the legislature for the last three years that will not come out. And it's dealing with creating mandatory time for those who use guns and violent offenses. I think everybody can get behind that, but unfortunately, we can't get that passed."
State Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle), one of the architects of Alabama's 2022 constitutional carry law, said he agreed with Bailey's assessment.
During an appearance on Mobile radio's FM Talk 106.5 earlier this week, Stringer, who also serves as the police chief for the City of Creola, said he backed Bailey's argument, adding that the Second Amendment was not a "group right."
“I totally agree with him," Stringer explained. "You know, I think that's the way you address it. You address the problematic people. You know, I've had to remind people over and over — the Second Amendment is not a group right. It is not where, you know, a handful of thug individuals go out and cause problems and rob and steal and kill people. And so we take everybody's guns. The Second Amendment is an individual right. You take away when an individual does something that takes his rights away, his or her rights away."
"I've said all along, and pretty much all of the Republican legislature will say this, you know, let's enhance penalties and not only enhance them, let's enforce these penalties and let's take these people that are using firearms and crimes and let's make mandatory sentences or let's do some true sentencing instead of sentencing them and then to 10 years and then six months later, they're out of jail, you know, because in the name of jail overcrowding," he continued. "You know, it's that has got to be addressed and dealt with. I agree with what he's saying. And, you know, I wouldn't say it's the legislature's problem or, you know, fault all in one because that's not true, because I know, like I said, most of the Republican legislature will tell you that, you know, instead of addressing everybody, let's put more harsher penalties on the ones that are doing it."
"Let's not only do that, but let's force them to stay in jail, in prison, until their sentences," Stringer added. "And when there is actually consequences to their actions, then you will start to see things change and get better. Of course, until then, it's, you know, the old saying, it's going to be harder for a little while. We're going to have to address even more people in the prisons and, you know, more correction officers and that kind of stuff. But the fact is, we cannot continue to let these inmates out early regardless of the overcrowding in the prisons. We have got to find a way to address the problems within the prison system to address, you know, all of this."
Every bit of this is multiple facets to this problem. There's not just one issue to the Montgomery violence crime or Mobile violence crime or anywhere else. It's lots of where you've got social issues, you've got community issues, you've got police and community, you know, where we're lacking police officers and down on that. And morale of the police department and officers are down at times. So lots of problems and ideas, but we've got to find something to address it," he concluded.
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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