On September 3, 2024, Mike Wood, Bessemer, Alabama Police Chief, addressed the media regarding several shootings that took place the previous weekend.
Wood claims that Alabama’s passage of Constitutional Carry, signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey, has negatively impacted the state’s attempts to reduce crime. The law went into effect in 2023.
Constitutional Carry is the simple concept that any lawful person can carry a firearm without the government’s permission.
“We have been hindered by legislation that has been passed in the state of Alabama, taking away pistol permits,” Wood declared.
“People are going to say, ‘You have the right to carry guns,’” Wood added. “I agree. You have the right to carry a gun, but I also agree you need a background check. You don’t need to be an 18-year-old child who doesn’t know enough about life to be out here carrying guns.”
“You see what happens,” he continued. “We’re dealing with conflict with guns, and that’s not acceptable.”
Wood conceded that we live in a culture that fosters gun violence. However, the police chief explained that requiring concealed carry permits helped police identify criminals before they commit a crime.
“They might get a gun, but if they’re on their way to commit a shooting and we stop them, and they don’t have a permit for that gun, guess what? We can take him to jail,” he stated. “It’s a misdemeanor. Correct. But it just stopped a felony from occurring, or a robbery, or something else.”
There are valid concerns about the nature of gun violence taking place in cities nationwide. However, the crime problem in the US cannot be solved by restricting gun rights. The country’s crime epidemic is largely the result of soft crime policies pursued by George Soros-funded district attorneys and the broader “defund the police” sentiment that has proliferated in recent years. Allowing lawful individuals to carry a gun at least enables citizens to defend themselves during this unprecedented crime wave when law enforcement can’t be relied on to maintain public order.
Alabama is a solid pro-gun state and was ranked as the 17th best state for gun owners by Guns and Ammo Magazine. There’s still work to be done on gun policy in Alabama, but it’s trending in a positive direction. Heading down the path of gun control is the wrong move for Alabama. This will turn lawful citizens into soft targets for criminals who have no regard for permit systems and laws that the rest of us must comply with.
The fact that Alabama has solid protections for the right to bear arms gives its citizens a fighting chance against criminals and other nefarious actors. Policymakers who are serious about fighting crime should not only support gun ownership laws for the benefit of lawful citizens but should also get serious about dropping the hammer down on real criminals.
