A bill that would allow individuals to have loaded handguns in their vehicles has passed the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee, despite major opposition from many in Alabama’s law enforcement.
Senate Bill 14, introduced by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, would allow anyone to carry an accessible, loaded handgun in his or her car without obtaining a license.
Under current Alabama law, individuals must obtain a concealed-carry pistol license to carry a loaded pistol in their vehicles.
The bill has faced intense opposition from law enforcement all over the state.
The Alabama Sheriffs Association and the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police actively lobbied against the bill during committee hearings.
Auburn Police Division Chief Paul Register is a member of the AACOP. He helped the association lobby against the bill over the past several weeks.
“We feel very strongly that (the bill) would not be good for the safety of our citizens and for law enforcement as well,” Register said. “It takes some ability from us to be able to get people off the street that might otherwise commit crimes.”
The bill has several unintended consequences that could be detrimental to the safety of Auburn’s residents, according to Register.
“Often we stop someone, and they have a firearm,” Register said. “We make an arrest because they don’t have a permit. It prevents crimes down the road.”
Register is not alone in proclaiming the bill will threaten public safety. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones testified against the bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“The way the law stands now ... that law has allowed us to save lives,” Jones said. “It’s not a gun rights issue. It’s not that I don’t want law-abiding citizens to have access to a firearm to protect themselves and their family. I’m all for that. I’m an advocate of that, but I’m also an advocate of public safety.”
According to Jones, the Sheriff’s Department has documented cases where requiring concealed-carry permits has prevented further crimes and injury.
“If Senate Bill 14 passed, the permit requirement [to have a loaded handgun] in a vehicle would be removed,” Jones said. “As a result, in previous scenarios where we’ve made an arrest based on individuals having a firearm without a permit, then it could easily end up in a situation where we make the same traffic stop, and instead of making an arrest, we allow them to go on their way. It might result in a crime occurring later on with that firearm.”
According to Jones, many proponents of the bill say criminals aren’t going to follow laws.
“That’s the point,” Jones said. “If we have a law in place that they aren’t going to follow, that continues to provide us with a tool to take enforcement action against them.”
Jones and Register, who both oversee dozens of law enforcement officers responsible for maintaining public order and safety, were also concerned about the safety of their own law enforcement officers.
“When an officer walks up to a vehicle and they see a firearm, that heightens the officer’s awareness of a situation,” Register said. “If this bill passed, an officer walking up to a vehicle doesn’t know if that’s a confrontational situation or someone who has the weapon legally. It does create some additional measures that law enforcement will have to take to determine if its a threatening situation when someone has a firearm in the car.”
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