Archived: SB 24 Constitutional Carry Bill Pre-Filed for Alabama's 2017 Session

This is an archived historical page from the former BamaCarry site. It describes events and views as of early 2017 and does not reflect current law, availability, membership, prices, schedules, or contacts.

In a post dated February 2, 2017, BamaCarry announced that SB 24, a constitutional carry bill, had been pre-filed in Alabama for the 2017 session. The archived page presented the group's position on the measure and on permit requirements generally.

The Group's Stated Position

The author wrote that he supported constitutional carry and objected to paying for what he described as an unalienable right. He argued that people should not have to be photographed, fingerprinted, or registered before exercising Second Amendment rights, and he compared such requirements to a hypothetical permission requirement for the press. The post quoted the view that a right requiring government payment and permission becomes a government-granted privilege.

Opposition Described in the Post

According to the archived text, most liberals, progressives, and Democrats, including the Alabama Sheriff's Association, would argue against SB 24. The author characterized their reasoning as based on feelings rather than facts. He also criticized a former sheriff of Montgomery County for being vocal about banning a type of rifle, and he asserted that two sheriffs had recently admitted money was the motive, citing revenue from the permit system.

The post further claimed that after 2013, when officials lost sole discretion over permits and open carry confusion was resolved, some retaliated by directing business owners to post no-guns signs, and that county employees were paid to deliver and post them. The author questioned the legality of that spending and cited Alabama Code sections 36-25-23 and 36-25-5.

Expectations for the 2017 Session

The author anticipated that sheriffs would attend the February hearing to lobby against the bill and predicted familiar arguments would be repeated. He urged citizens to contact legislators and sheriffs, and he noted that joining the organization was one way to help, stating that dues were then $20 yearly.

The page also recounted the group's history, saying five men formed BamaCarry six years earlier and that membership and supporters had grown to more than seventeen thousand with chapters in many counties. It described the mission as educating Alabamians about gun rights and quoted Daniel Webster on men who mean to govern.

Archived for historical reference only. Details such as dues, events, and organizational size reflect the 2017 source and are not current statements.