Alabama Governor Kay Ivey described the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a New York state law restricting access to conceal carry permits to individuals, and in so doing morphing the legal understanding of acceptable gun control policy nationwide, as “a win for the Second Amendment and win for common sense,” in a statement released by the governor’s office Thursday.
The 6 to 3 ruling Thursday in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen overturns a New York law that would require individuals to demonstrate a special need for a concealed carry permit beyond self-defense.
“It’s time folks keep a level head on issues dealing with our constitutional rights as Americans, and that is exactly what our U.S. Supreme Court did through its decision today,” Ivey said in a statement made Thursday. “While we Alabamians do not have to worry about our rights being infringed upon, law-abiding citizens in states like New York are fighting simply for their right to bear arms.”
In March, a bill to allow Alabamians to carry a concealed weapon without a permit or license was signed into law by Ivey, despite protest from Democratic lawmakers in Montgomery and law enforcement leaders who believed that the law would further increase the danger to law enforcement officers and make it more challenging to confiscate illegal guns.
“Today, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment means exactly what it says: A citizen’s right to carry a firearm in public should not be subject to the whims of a government bureaucrat,” Ivey said.
In Washington, the U.S. Senate passed the first bipartisan piece of gun control legislation in recent memory. The bill, titled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, would enhance background checks on individuals between 18 and 21 seeking to buy a weapon, close the so-called “boyfriend” loophole, and provide incentives to state governments to enact red flag guns laws or other similar crisis intervention programs. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives.
According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Alabama has the third-highest gun homicide rate in the county, with the fifth-highest gun death rate nationwide. The Rand Corporation estimates that 50 percent of Alabamians live in households with firearms.
