The constitutional carry law passed by the legislature earlier this year, which ends the permit requirement for firearms in Alabama, will go into effect in the new year.
According to State Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle), one of the chief sponsors of the 2022 law, things are on track for the law's implementation.
During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Stringer said he did not see problems ahead for the law.
"The law itself doesn't take effect until January 1 of '23," Stringer said. "But it's not going to be any issues. I've spoken with sheriffs in other states that have this, and every one of them said that they have suspected and worried that there would be some issues but later discovered that there wasn't. At the end of the day, bad guys were bad guys and didn't use permits. And so, it is what it is, and I think we're going to be good with it."
One component required to overcome lawmakers' public safety concerns was a so-called prohibited firearm holders database, which would be administered by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA).
The Mobile County Republican said the state was on track to have that ready when the law went into effect.
"The last that we had spoken with ALEA, they are confirming that everything is looking good and on track to be complete and ready to go soon," Stringer continued. "So, we'll just have to continue to monitor that. Once we get that up and running, that's going to be an awesome tool for law enforcement to be able to determine who is prohibited and who is not and will allow them the information needed to give them probable cause to arrest people who should not have firearms."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com.
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