Alabama Senate approves permitless carry bill. Here are the details.

The Alabama Senate on Thursday approved an amended bill that would allow the concealed carry of firearms without a permit.

The bill passed 23 to 6 after a 90-minute debate during which a long-time Senate sponsor said there should be no regulation of law-abiding gun owners, and opponents said supporters would make the state's problems with gun violence worse.

Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle, sponsored the bill, which would remove legal penalties for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Gun owners could still purchase permits for out-of-state travel, and would still be required to carry them in certain areas. But the permit would no longer be required for most carry situations. The law would also do away with restrictions on where loaded firearms can be carried in cars, and would allow drivers to keep loaded weapons within arm's reach.

Gun access organizations have pushed for the changes, arguing concealed carry permits are unconstitutional violations of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Law enforcement groups have opposed the measure, saying the permit requirement can allow them to detain people who may have committed more serious crimes. The Alabama Sheriffs' Association said sheriffs denied 6,000 permits last year due to some concern about the applicant.

Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, who carried the bill in the Senate, said "no one should pay a dime" for gun permits.

"It wasn’t meant for us to pay a fee, a tax or anything for us to arm ourselves, to protect ourselves, our families," he said. "It’s a right, it’s not a fee."

More: Alabama House approves permitless carry bill

Related: Too young to die: Gun violence is traumatizing a generation of Montgomery's youth

Senators amended the bill to include language saying private property owners could ban people from carrying weapons on their property with signs saying that, and creating a a fund to replace lost permit revenue for sheriffs. The fund would start with $5 million, and the state would be required to maintain a minimum balance of $2 million in the fund for three years.

"That was very important to me," said Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper. "That was an issue that I brought up to my colleagues that I felt was something that was important."

The new bill also includes language that requires motorists in traffic stops to tell law enforcement officers if they are carrying a firearm. It would also forbid motorists with firearms to touch them when law enforcement approaches them during a stop, and would allow law enforcement to take possession of firearms if they have a "reasonable suspicion" the driver is engaged in or is about to engage in criminal activity. The officer could run a check of the individual and the firearm during the stop.

Stringer said Thursday he was reviewing changes to the bill, but said he was inclined to support them.

"They did give me a brief on the changes, and on the surface, I am okay with the changes," he said.

Versions of the bill have been introduced for a decade, but generally, they have been stymied by law enforcement concerns. But with primaries looming in May, the House Republican Caucus made passage of the bill a priority. The bill passed that chamber on Feb. 22 on a 65 to 37 vote.

Democrats accused Republicans of caving to right-wing groups over the bill. Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, echoing an attack from some House Republicans opposed to the measure, said Thursday that Republicans were "defunding the police," an allusion to revenue lost from permit fees.

"I've heard so many of you don't want to vote on this bill, but you got your marching orders now, so now you're ready to go," he said.

Democrats also attacked a $5 million provision to replace lost revenue, saying the state was paying for guns while resisting the expansion of Medicaid.

"We will take money out of our budget ... to give people the right to carry a gun," said Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham.

Alabama had the nation's fifth-highest rate of deaths from firearms in the country in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 23.6 deaths by firearms for every 100,000 people. The CDC reported that 1,141 Alabamians died by firearms that year. In New York State, which has four times the population of Alabama, there were 1,052 deaths by firearms in 2020.

Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, said the bill would exacerbate those trends.

"Mark my word, the blood of those people will be on your hands," she said. "Because we tried to tell you."

Stringer has argued through the debate that he does not believe that laws can restrain violent people.

"The fact of the matter is, we're dealing with evil-hearted people out in our communities that are doing this bad stuff, and we cannot legislate an evil-hearted person," he said.

The bill will go to the House for concurrence or a conference committee. If the bill goes to Gov. Kay Ivey and gets signed, the permitless carry law will go into effect on Jan. 1.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama Senate approves permitless carry bill