Moved to Alabama

[velojym]

...and wow. While there's a pretty active hunting and shooting community here, I just read some of the state regulations as to various forms of carry. They seem to be real keen on letting us know that they consider RKBA more of a .gov privilege than anything resembling a right.
It's technically an "open carry" state, but ya gotta be real careful when a vehicle is involved... and the law seems to be pretty picky about where you can go with that unloaded, cased gun in the trunk.

CC permits are "may issue", meaning if the issuing authori-tah doesn't like the way you look, they can just shrug and deny your permit.

I'm gonna apply for one anyway, after I've been here a few months (they made it clear on the website that, while it isn't required so long as you have a valid AL drivers license.. they want you to wait 6 months), and hope that the Sheriff isn't an anti-gun-nut.

 

[docnyt]

It's not as bad as it sounds. Although I guess it varies from county to county.

 

[velojym]

I'm figuring it's one of those things that isn't really a problem if you aren't the sort they'd deny the permit to. I know of several people who are regularly out and about legally armed, but what bothers me is how easy the whole thing can be wiped out by a sheriff with an agenda.

 

[docnyt]

That Sherriff won't last long in this state lol.

 

[velojym]

That would be my hope.
But, I'd still rather they didn't put that much power in so few hands.
Nothing I can do about it right now, just thought I'd bring it up. Good thing
I know about it now. When I lived here before, fifteen years ago, I didn't pay any
attention to the law at all, having grown up in New Mexico... it didn't occur to me
that states (in the South and West, anyway) would be any different.

 

[PowerG]

An Alabama sheriff who is an anti-gun nut? LOL That would not be a great recipe for re-election.

I haven't heard of any hang-ups with the permit process there, if you pass the background check you shouldn't have any problem.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

hope that the Sheriff isn't an anti-gun-nut.

I don't think we have any of those.

 

[Telekinesis]

An Alabama sheriff who is an anti-gun nut? LOL That would not be a great recipe for re-election.

I haven't heard of any hang-ups with the permit process there, if you pass the background check you shouldn't have any problem.

I'll give you your first reported hang up. AL law does not provide a minimum age for issuance of a carry permit, but it provides that no one under 18 can possess a pistol. Therefore the practical minimum age for issuance of a CCW is 18 (and several counties do issue to anyone over 18). But Jefferson County's Sheriff wants you to be 21 before he will issue a permit.

There was a guy on OpenCarry.org (IIRC, I don't remember his name) who sued Jefferson County's Sheriff when he was denied a permit for being under 21 (but obviously over 18) and won and the Jeff Co Sheriff was ordered to issue him a permit. However the Sheriff's office refuses to apply this ruling to anyone else and I was denied a permit based on my age.

Actually "denied" is a bit of a strong word for what happened. Because of the ruling, they have to give a permit to anyone over 18 who applies and otherwise meets the criteria apart from the age, so how do they fix that? They wouldn't let me submit my paperwork. The person responsible for collecting the applications flat refused to even look at it OR let me meet with the permit investigator (who doesn't really know the law about an AL resident carrying on out of state permits but that's a different matter.)

I don't have a citation for this ruling, so I'll understand if yall don't take it into consideration, but I think that the Sheriff's office refusal to take my paperwork as opposed to denying it gives at least some credence to it.

And I don't think I'll have a problem with the background check, I've already got two other CCW permits I only have a few more months before my 21st birthday, so I'm almost there, but its still a sore spot with me.

Another point I thought interesting was that my roommate (a GA resident) could legally carry in AL assuming he had the same permits that I had while as an AL resident, I couldn't. Now how does that make any sense???

 

[MtnCreek]

Unless I'm mistaken, I think they even have a pro-gun sheriff in Jeferson County (Birmingham) and that's saying alot. The rest of Jefferson Co is a broke, discombobulated mess!

Edit: Looking at the above post, I guess I am mistaken. Was that the current sheriff? What year was this?

 

[Telekinesis]

Unless I'm mistaken, I think they even have a pro-gun sheriff in Jeferson County (Birmingham) and that's saying alot. The rest of Jefferson Co is a broke, discombobulated mess!

I'll give you that he's decently pro gun, but I don't think he can be classified as completely pro gun when he won't issue permits to people (yep, that's me! ) who are otherwise qualified apart from reaching a certain age that he deems acceptable.

It doesn't sit well with me when his only legal leg to stand on is "well, I don't want those adults to have guns because they're a little on the young side, but those other adults over there can have as many as they want." It only gets worse when you realize that there's a maximum of 3 years between the two groups of adults...


Edit:
Sorry, typed this before I saw your edit. That was about a year and a half ago with the current Sheriff Mike Hale.

 

[Tommygunn]

It's technically an "open carry" state, but ya gotta be real careful when a vehicle is involved....

Having a loaded gun in a car requires a CCW permit. Once you step out technically you can open carry.
From what I understand, not all police are "savey" about open carry so you may be hassled and I suppose arrested in some places, so I would be careful.
Anyway, a CCW permit costs me $20 a year and renewal is by mail, so it's easy enough.

 

[MtnCreek]

Well, one way to look at it, given Jefferson Co's financial status, Mr. Hale may be out of a job pretty soon (they're nasty broke)!

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Having a loaded gun in a car requires a CCW permit.

Not exactly....a handgun in a vehicle requires a CCW permit loaded or not. The exceptions are when bringing the handgun home from place of purchase,taking the handgun to or from a gunsmith for repair or upgrade or when moving to another place of residence. Also no permit is required for a loaded long gun in a vehicle.

 

[chuck pullen]

Velojym:

What county are you in? I would guess that all of our 67 sheriffs are pro-gun or gone. I'm in Madison County (Huntsville) in North Alabama. Welcome, you'll like it here.

 

[MtnCreek]

Not exactly....a handgun in a vehicle requires a CCW permit loaded or not. The exceptions are when bringing the handgun home from place of purchase,taking the handgun to or from a gunsmith for repair or upgrade or when moving to another place of residence. Also no permit is required for a loaded long gun in a vehicle.

How do you take a handgun (w/o permit) to a shooting range in AL?

 

[Telekinesis]

How do you take a handgun (w/o permit) to a shooting range in AL?

Legally, you can't :banghead:

There was a bill recently to fix this issue and make AL a "shall issue" as well as clarify OC and other topics, but I don't think it passed and I'm not sure what it's current status is if it got reintroduced.

 

[Old krow]

It doesn't sit well with me when his only legal leg to stand on is "well, I don't want those adults to have guns because they're a little on the young side, but those other adults over there can have as many as they want."

That's true, but, it is a "may issue" state and not a "shall issue." The Sheriff sets the age. 21 years is pretty much the standard. If I recall, only a few counties even have the restrictions set at 18, most are 21. I thought that Jefferson Co was one of the counties to have set the age at 18, but their website says that it is 21.

 

[au01st]

Welcome to Alabama. The main question everyone else seems to be missing is what color do you wear on Saturdays in the fall?

Good info on OC laws in my sig.

 

[Old krow]

what color do you wear on Saturdays in the fall?

Camo?

 

[PowerG]

I think he means Alabama and Auburn LOL.

Isn't the minimum age 21 in most places?

 

[au01st]

One of the issues with "may issue"... Though depending on your county one may be able to convince your sheriff to issue you a permit, maybe if you go with parents and are able to have a sit down or something.

And yes, I was referencing AU/AL for Saturday colors, haha!

 

[jimmyraythomason]

depending on your county one may be able to convince your sheriff to issue you a permit, maybe if you go with parents

I live in Blount County and got my pistol permit @ 20 yoa(in 1973). The sheriff, J.C.Carr, knew my dad even saying "if you're half the man your dad is,you'll have no trouble getting this renewed". I went with a friend to get his permit (he was 19 at the time),Sheriff Carr also knew his dad so it went very well. Crimson is my year around color!

 

[velojym]

I lived here for about 5 years, moving to AR in 2001. My old friends from here are still my friends, which really rocks.

As for Saturdays... I'm not a football fan anyway, but my wife is. She'll probably wait until she finds someone she genuinely doesn't like, figure out which team they support, and take the opposite position (jk... I think she's already kinda in the Bama camp).

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I'm not a football fan anyway

You do realize that is sacrilege don't you?

 

[docnyt]

Welcome to Alabama. The main question everyone else seems to be missing is what color do you wear on Saturdays in the fall?

Good info on OC laws in my sig.

Red and orange!

J/K

On a firearms related note, what about those rampant Browning stickers on the back glass of pickup trucks? You'll know you're out of state when you start seeing less and less of them. LOL.