Alabama Enters Race to Become 13th Permitless Carry State

State senator Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) has “pre-filed” legislation that would make Alabama the 13th permitless carry state.

His bill–SB 24–would “remove unnecessary burdens on law-abiding citizens who own and carry guns.”

According to the Decatur Daily, Allen’s opposition to requiring a concealed carry permit is twofold. Firstly, he believes requiring a permit is in fundamental contradiction to the very existence of constitutional rights. Allen said, “For you to have to pay a fee to fulfill your constitutional rights, that’s not right.” His second reason for opposing a permit is that you can already carry openly in Alabama without one, and Allen believes it makes no sense to require residents to possess a government-issued permit just because their jacket or sweatshirt covers their firearm.

Allen said, “We already allow open carry without a permit, and there is no logical reason for continuing to require a permit for concealed carry.”

If SB 24 passes and is signed into law, residents of Alabama could still acquire a concealed carry permit for the purposes of reciprocity with other states. Other states that have adopted permitless carry have continued to issue permits to residents who want them for this very reason.

There are currently 12 states that recognize permitless carry. Those state are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia. It should be noted that there are certain parts of Arkansas and Montana where a permit is required, but the vast portion of both states–99.4 percent, according to Gun Owners of America–is permitless.

Texas, Indiana, and South Dakota are considering permitless carry bills during their 2017 legislative sessions. Alabama lawmakers will consider SB 24 when their session opens on February 7.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.