An Alabama legislator is advocating for the compulsory possession of carrying permits for individuals who own assault weapons.
Since 2022, carrying a permit for a concealed weapon has not been mandatory in Alabama.
In preparation for the 2025 session, State Representative Kenyatté Hassell (D-Montgomery) has introduced a bill that mandates a permit for carrying assault weapons. He believes that the absence of permits leaves law enforcement with no power to question individuals who possess military-grade firearms.
Hassell strongly disagrees with anyone who claims that the permits are not to blame for the increasing number of shootings. According to him, the data clearly suggests that more shootings are taking place, which ultimately leads to more homicides.
After thirty-one years of experience in law enforcement, State Rep. Allen Treadaway is of the belief that fixing the issue of homicides in Alabama requires a different approach.
Treadaway emphasized that the key issue at hand is the shortage of officers on the streets to combat the prevalent gun violence. “Attempting to tackle gun violence without enough officers to promptly respond to the incidents is a futile effort,” he stated.
Treadaway revealed that Alabama has implemented a new strategy for tracking crime by utilizing a comprehensive statewide database. This approach has proven to be more effective than simply relying on permits to determine who is eligible to carry a firearm.
According to Treadaway, Alabama stands out as the only state or one of the few that maintains a database of individuals prohibited from carrying firearms. This database gives officers multiple grounds for stopping someone.
According to Hassell, relying solely on a database is not the correct solution.
Hassell questioned, “How can I benefit from a database if I am not even allowed to initiate a conversation or have an initial stop with that person? Why am I being prevented from doing so, when that is the only way I could have learned about this database?” Hassell emphasized the importance of having that first interaction, stating that without it, he would have no knowledge about the database’s existence.
