MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Legislation that would allow Alabamians the opportunity to purchase a lifetime concealed carry firearm permit was today approved by the State Senate. The bill, SB308 sponsored by Senator Randy Price (R-Opelika), would establish the Alabama Uniform Concealed Carry Permit Act to regulate a process where concealed carry permits may be issued by sheriffs and to create a statewide firearm prohibited person database administered by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA).
Key highlights of the bill include:
- Pistol permits would be standardized at one year, five years, or lifetime;
- The cost of one or five year permits would be determined by local law. If there is no law on the subject, $25 per year or $300 for lifetime, or $150 for lifetime if the applicant over 60 years of age;
- A database to be generated by ALEA listing all persons ineligible to possess a firearm by state and federal law;
- And the courts would be required to forward any conviction or court order that would render one ineligible for firearm possession to ALEA for entry into the database.
“The United States Constitution affords the American people the right to keep and bear arms, and this is a freedom we must work hard to preserve,” said Price. “Any Alabamian who can legally purchase a handgun should be able to obtain a lifetime concealed carry permit, but bad actors and individuals deemed prohibited from obtaining this permit should be registered and flagged as such.
“This new database would consolidate all the information that is currently managed by counties into one system, creating a unified process by which normal citizens can obtain a lifetime permit,” Price continued. “If an Alabamian has not committed a crime that prohibits them from holding a permit, then they should be able to purchase a lifetime conceal carry permit instead of returning year after year to make an annual payment and renew that permit.”
This piece of legislation now moves to the Alabama House of Representatives for consideration. Representative Proncey Robertson (R-Mount Hope) is carrying the companion bill in the House.
