Last night, the Alabama Legislature adjourned sine die from its 2022 legislative session. During this historic session, the Legislature passed the NRA-backed House Bill 272, constitutional carry. Then, Governor Kay Ivey promptly signed it into law within hours. This was a hard won victory, as the Alabama Sheriffs Association (ASA), unsurprisingly, fought against it, and even teamed up with a Bloomberg-backed, national anti-gun group to work against the interests of law-abiding gun owners. Despite the ASA taking that stance, some sheriffs broke away and were not afraid to publicly state that they supported constitutional carry.
When the law goes into effect in January, 2023, Alabamians will once again be able to exercise their right-to-carry without having to buy their rights back from their sheriff at exorbitant cost and go through the associated red tape and delays.
The Legislature passing the greatest pro-gun legislation in Alabama history was not the end of opposition to Second Amendment rights though. Proven anti-gun Representatives Neil Rafferty and Allen Farley made one last attempt to prove their loyalty to the gun ban lobby extremists by pushing a bill to create a state registry of individuals who renounce their Second Amendment rights. It was defeated when the House did not bring it up for a vote.
NRA once again thanks Gov. Ivey, bill sponsor Rep. Shane Stringer, Rules Chair Mike Jones, Rep. Andrew Sorrell, Speaker Mac McCutcheon, Senate lead sponsor Sen. Gerald Allen, Sen. Tim Melson, Senate Judiciary Chair Tom Whatley, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed, and all the other supporters in the Legislature for making 2022 a successful session.
NRA will be back in Montgomery in 2023. Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates.
