{"id":72282,"date":"2017-04-05T10:11:25","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T14:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=72282"},"modified":"2017-04-05T10:11:25","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T20:49:16","slug":"alabama-sheriffs-oppose-constitutional-carry-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/alabama-sheriffs-oppose-constitutional-carry-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Alabama Sheriffs Oppose Constitutional Carry? It\u2019s All About the Money!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Why<\/a>

Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning. You can read his open letter <\/a>on why the ASA opposes SB24. (Photo: AL.com file\/Bob Gathany<\/em>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Let\u2019s be real, when people say \u201cIt\u2019s not about the money,\u201d chances are it\u2019s really<\/em> about the money.<\/p>\n

Case in point, the Alabama Sheriffs Association opposition to SB24<\/a>, a Constitutional Carry bill that would allow one to carry a concealed firearm without having to pay a fee and obtain a permit.<\/p>\n

Publicly, sheriffs argue <\/a>that doing away with the permit system would jeopardize both the safety of the public and that of sworn officers. \u00a0But really, it’s about the money, specifically their permit fund.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion and the opinion of most law enforcement officials and agencies, this is bad legislation due to the fact it adds additional danger to law enforcement officers performing their duty of protecting and serving the general public,\u201d said Monroe County Sheriff Thomas Tate in an interview with The Monroe Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Likewise, Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas told The Troy Messenger<\/a>, \u201cWe\u2019re always going to put public safety first and there\u2019s a lot of concern about individuals being able to carry guns without background checks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right. The worry is about people carrying guns without background checks. Hmmm\u2026 What a bunch of claptrap! \u00a0Four quick reasons why it’s a load of B.S.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. In Alabama a background check is required at the point-of-sale when one purchases a firearm from a licensed dealer.<\/li>\n
  2. Aside from in a vehicle, open carry without a permit is legal in Alabama. In other words, any lawful citizen can already carry a firearm without having to undergo another background check.<\/li>\n
  3. Speaking of law-abiding citizens, they\u2019re not the problem here! Criminals are the problem. You know, bad guy with guns. But they, as we all know, will carry concealed firearms irrespective of what the law says. Moreover, given their criminal history, they are already banned from merely possessing, let alone, carrying firearms in the first place.<\/li>\n
  4. As many as twelve states have passed Constitutional Carry laws and, thus far, not one has descended into chaos and disorder. Not one.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Sheriffs opposition to SB24 is, as mentioned, only about one thing: the money. In a private email obtained by AL.com<\/a>, the money motive was made abundantly clear by Alabama Sheriffs Association Executive Director Bobby Timmons, who told members to contact their local legislators and to tell them to oppose SB24 \u201cif you value your permit fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Timmons went on to say that they should also oppose any attempt at a compromise version of the bill that would benefit law-abiding gun owners.<\/p>\n

    “The National Rifle Association WILL return next time the Legislature meets to bring back Jabo [Waggoner’s] ‘any county bill’ and will push for uniform — one cost — statewide permit fee…if any fee at all!” wrote Timmons.<\/p>\n

    Yes, it’s about their precious permit fund. \u00a0That’s why ASA opposes SB 24.<\/p>\n