Local sheriffs have reservations about new conceal carry law that takes effect Jan. 1

The sheriffs of Dallas and Perry counties say they have reservations about a new law that makes it legal for gun owners in Alabama to carry their weapon concealed without obtaining a conceal carry permit.

House Bill 272, better known as the Constitutional Carry Law, was passed by the state Legislature on March 10 and was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2023. This is different from the Open Carry law that has been in effect for years. Under that law, gun owners are permitted to carry a handgun as long as it is not concealed.

Dallas County Sheriff Mike Granthum said experts have predicted that the new conceal carry law will probably have a similar effect to states where marijuana has been legalized. People in those states who otherwise would not smoke pot now have access to it, he said. With the new gun law, people who normally would not carry concealed now will be armed.

Perry County Sheriff Billy Jones said, “I feel like the crime rate will go up. People are not going to read the law about who can and who can’t carry a gun without a permit. Ex-felons and mental health patients will feel like they can carry now.” These individuals are not allowed to own a gun.

Both sheriffs said the numbers they were shown for other counties that have enacted Constitutional Carry laws saw a slight rise in crime. Jones predicted that “gun violence will skyrocket” and will stay that way. Granthum said it is too early to tell the effects of the new law. “It could be like if a burglar knows someone has a gun in their house, they are less likely to break into that house,” Granthum said. “But only time will tell.”

The biggest problem with this law, according to both sheriffs, is that law enforcement is now more limited when it comes to gun crime.

“Probably 95% of the sheriffs were against [the conceal carry law],” Granthum said. Under the new law, officers who find a gun in a suspicious car can’t confiscate the gun to see if it was used in a shooting, he said.

Even after the new law takes effect, Concealed Carry Permits will continue to be issued by most counties in Alabama because many surrounding states still require a permit. Most honor Alabama permits, so any gun owner planning to travel across state lines with their firearm needs to get a permit, the sheriffs said.

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Both sheriffs also have a warning for gun owners and would-be gun owners. The Constitutional Carry law does not take effect until Jan. 1. That means until then, you have to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The only place you don’t have to have a permit is in your own home, and you don’t need to have one for rifles and shotguns.

Carrying a weapon in a vehicle is considered concealed, and there are stipulations to having a firearm in the vehicle without a permit.

Granthum explained, “You can still open carry in a vehicle. The gun has to be unloaded, the bullets have to be separate from the gun and the gun has to be in a locked secure box affixed to the furthest compartment of the car, which would be the trunk.”

Even after the new law goes into effect, Granthum and Jones said that store owners have the right to refuse to allow guns on their property.

Grantham added, “I just hope people who have guns in the home remember to secure them from kids in the house.”

Training helps to increase the safety factor no matter if a permit is required or not. Granthum said Dallas County Sheriff Department offers three safety classes per year starting in the spring. They teach how to keep the gun clean and how to shoot it.

“We have one instructor per person because each person brings a different gun, and we want the gun owner to be familiar with their gun,” Granthum said. The next classes will be in mid-May, and registration is going on now. Call the Sheriff’s Department for information on the classes 334-874-2530. If you need a permit, pick up an application at the Sheriff’s Department, fill it out and return it.

The complete text of the law is available here; https://legiscan.com/AL/text/HB272/2022