The sheriffs fought against Shall Issue and CCW permits at 18. Claiming only they knew who should have a permit to exercise their rights. They also said blood would flood the streets if they lost power to determine who got a permit or not. It didn't happen.

Some sheriffs wait the whole 30 days before issuing a CCW permit when we all know it only takes a few minutes. Thus denying citizens their rights, putting their personal safety at risk and possibly being arrested if they carry anyway without a permit.

Our citizens once has the ability to skip the federal background checks if they had a CCW permit when purchasing a firearm from an FFL. That was taken away from our citizens because sheriffs were selling CCW permits to convicted felons. With no follow up investigations, charges or media coverage. Just gone, with no attempt to remedy the situation to benefit the citizen.

Now they claim that LEO's will be in danger if CCW permits are no longer required in our great state. This is not true. The sheriffs try to use fear tactics in an attempt to sway the public and smear the legislators who are trying to do the right thing. It is very clear the sheriffs of Alabama do not support the 2nd Amendment nor our citizens. They have shown time and again they will use lies and fear tactics to keep their power in place. They spend the permit money any way they want with no accountability to the citizens of their communities.

I want to make a proposal for future legislation. Move the issuing of permits to ALEA, through the  Alabama Department of Conservation. With the funds earmarked for public firearm range development and increased free firearm training that they are already doing. It would be an actual benefit to the citizens of Alabama and be a credit our state motto "We dare to defend our rights."

The four arrests made and the guns seized at the vigil over the weekend for Mobile’s double homicide victims would not have been possible if the newly signed permitless carry law was already in effect, Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said Thursday.

Cochran made the statement in a Facebook post tying the area’s state representatives who voted for the law to the suspects.

“As most of you know, I fought hard to prevent PERMIT LESS CARRY [sic] from passing in Montgomery. Our legislatures ignored the voices of Law Enforcement and passed the bill anyway,” Cochran said in a Facebook post from his office Thursday night.

“Had permit less [sic] carry already been active last weekend, then there would be NO arrest [sic], NO seizer [sic] of guns and NO way of knowing whether or not those guns were stolen or used in other crimes.”

Four people were arrested after shots were fired at a Sunday night vigil. Three of the four were arrested for carrying a pistol without a license, among other charges.

..

Stringer told AL.com that Cochran’s statement was inaccurate, and that permitless carry -- called constitutional carry by Second Amendment advocates -- would have had no bearing on Mobile police’s job on the shots fired call from Sunday night.

https://www.al.com/news/2022/03/mobile-sheriff-links-murder-vigil-shooting-to-new-alabama-gun-law-sponsors-ignored-the-voices-of-law-enforcement.html

Proving yet again, that the issuing of permits needs to be taken away from the sheriffs.