Opinion
Fairfax, VA – -(Ammoland.com)- House Speaker Mac McCutcheon sent a letter to the Alabama Sheriffs Association (ASA) voicing his support for passage of the lifetime carry permit bill (HB 39) in this year’s legislative session.
“All of the ideas proposed over the last several years have come together in this piece of legislation. The time has come to put to rest all of the problems with the present system and bring uniformity to the state by passing HB 39 this legislative session,” noted Speaker McCutcheon.
NRA and law-abiding gun owners thank Speaker McCutcheon for taking this strong stance to promote self-defense rights in Alabama.
HB 39 was heard in the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee today with the NRA voicing strong support for the bill while several sheriffs and the ASA testified against giving you the choice of a lifetime permit. The vote on HB 39 can be as soon as the next committee meeting, so please contact your state representative asking them to SUPPORT HB 39.
House Bill 39, sponsored by Representative Proncey Robertson, creates a new statewide, uniform system to provide lifetime permits for qualified applicants at a cost of $200. For state residents over 65, the fee drops to $150.
Unfortunately, the sheriffs packed the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee room today to once again try to derail this pro-self-defense legislation. But let’s be clear – their opposition is not about public safety. Their opposition is driven by power, control, and money.
One sheriff was heard earlier in the day, “we never wanted that anyway” when it was pointed out that HB 39 would provide the potential fix to the NICS background check bypass that was stripped from permittees last year. What this sheriff obviously meant was they never wanted law-abiding permittees to have the background check exemption in the first place. Again, some sheriffs will not fight to defend your rights, but instead, they will scheme to destroy your freedom to protect their power, control, and money.
Well, some sheriffs got what they wanted. The ATF pulled Alabama’s exemption to the NICS background check after an investigation revealed that sheriffs were handing out permits to prohibited persons without conducting the required checks.
“Because county sheriffs have issued conceal carry permits without completing a full NICS check, firearms have been transferred to felons and other prohibited individuals in violation of federal law thereby creating a substantial public safety concern,” the ATF stated when pulling the exemption from all Alabama permits in July of last year.
But it doesn’t end there. Another sheriff even bragged that they currently rescind permits for non-prohibiting factors, such as arrests. So in some cases, some sheriffs were issuing permits to felons while at the same time, others were stripping individuals of their permit without a prohibiting conviction.
It’s time to stand up for the right to self-defense and creating a system that isn’t based on the arbitrary whims of individual sheriffs. Please let your elected officials know that you want HB 39 passed this session. Today’s testimony and comments by the sheriffs illustrate why HB 39 is so critically needed.
Don’t let them take this option from you! Press the “Take Action” button now to let your representative know that you want HB 39 to pass.
Again, please contact your state representative and ask them to SUPPORT HB 39.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org
There is also a piece of legislation that creates a database of permit holders. The nra is supporting it to I think..i don’t won’t to be on any list on a database especially for my lifetime.i like the constitutional carry bill a whole lot better..
Exactly
You think the state doesn’t have a database of the 5-year CCW permit holders?
Seems redundant, all these licenses and permits when amendment II of the Bill of Rights is pretty clear on the matter. Are we ignoring that, now? Weren’t [people] hanged by the neck until dead for that before? What happened to that? Sounds like a good deterrent for those [people] that might want to tear at the fabric of a great nation. And true justice for the good citizens that might have otherwise lost their country to usurpers. I’m just thinking on paper, here. Sorry, if I interrupted. Carry-on.
@frogdog, Courts, legislatures, and bureaucrats have been ignoring the pre-emptive character of the Second Amendment for about a hundred years.
Getting back to the Constitution would restore the republic.
Dudley Brown who leads the National Assoc. for Gun Rights is urging members to support constitutional carry. Per a recent email: Pro-gun champion State Representative Andrew Sorrell just filed his Constitutional Carry bill House Bill 404 with 23 cosponsors.
They go on to say that this HB 39 is a bill to create a statewide database of permit holders. A database is just the tool they’ll use for confiscation on down the road!
No! It’s just wrong to have to get a permission slip for concealed carry. And there’s no way a permit should cost more than five dollars to issue. Now the state wants the hog trough the sheriffs are using.
Constitutional carry is the only way!
Rick
@Rick, Even five cents would be too much.
Here goes the NRA once again trying to take credit for something someone else has done to advance the fight for 2nd Amendment rights. Seems to be the current pattern under LaPierre. “See what we did, now send us more money so we can keep doing it”.