By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
The National Rifleman’s Association (NRA) has endorsed both Amendment 3 and Amendment 5 to the Alabama Constitution.
In a statement, the Chairman of the influential NRA-PVF, Chris Cox said, “Amendment 3 would strengthen the current Alabama right to keep and bear arms amendment by ensuring the highest level of constitutional protection. Amendment 5 would protect Alabama’s hunting traditions from well-funded extremist groups that seek to ban hunting. These amendments are critical to protect the constitutional freedoms of law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen in Alabama.”
The NRA writes: “Amendment 3 would add the language ‘fundamental’ and ‘strict scrutiny’ to the state’s existing Right to Keep and Bear Arms amendment. ‘Strict scrutiny’ provides the highest level of protection for constitutional rights. Amendment 5 specifies that wildlife conservation and management decisions will be based on sound science, not the misguided emotions of anti-hunting extremists.”
Cox concluded, “On behalf of the NRA’s five million members, the NRA-PVF is proud to endorse Statewide Ballot Amendments 3 and 5. I urge all Alabama NRA members, gun owners and sportsmen to vote ‘Yes’ on Amendments 3 and 5 on November 4.”
Amendment 3 is supported by most gun rights groups in the State.
The Amendment gives every citizen of Alabama a fundamental right to bear arms and that any restriction on this right be subject to strict scrutiny. The proposed amendment provides that no international treaty or law may prohibit, limit, otherwise interfere with a citizen’s fundamental right to bear arms.
Some however in the gun rights community claim that the amendment itself is a back door attempt to give Alabama State legislators a way to restrict gun rights.
Gina Miller wrote recently, “I don’t know whether conservatives who support Alabama Statewide Amendment 3 are doing so out of a lack of understanding of the danger to their gun rights that amendment poses, or if they are leftists infiltrators posing as conservatives to mislead people into voting away their God-given right to keep and bear arms. Either way, it’s not good. With the words, “…and that any restriction on this right would be subject to strict scrutiny,” this amendment declares that your unalienable right to keep and bear arms is NOT unalienable and will be subject to restriction! Don’t you see? This is subtle and evil, the wordsmithing of tryants.”
The pro-gun rights opponents of Amendment 3 claim that the Alabama Constitution already provides protection against the State restricting their gun rights and claim that Amendment 3 would only weaken those protections. When it is pointed out that the State already restricts gun rights and has claimed that power for decades through requiring concealed carry permits, their argument is that the State law has not been challenged yet and that eventually the Alabama Supreme Court will overturn all existing restrictions.
Because of the disagreement, BamaCarry has not taken an official position, endorsing or opposing, Amendment 3.
Voters will decide whether to pass or oppose Amendment 3 and Amendment 5 on November 4.
The National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. The NRA has more than five million members. In their mission statement the NRA says that it continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services.
