A bill that would reinstate permit requirements for carrying a pistol in Alabama was introduced last week by Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, a move that would reverse the state’s current permitless carry law.
Singleton (D-Greensboro) filed Senate Bill 267, which would once again require individuals to obtain a permit to carry a pistol in a vehicle or concealed on their person. Alabama adopted constitutional carry in 2022, eliminating the permit requirement for most gun owners.
In a statement provided by the Alabama Senate Minority Caucus, Singleton said the change is intended to give law enforcement more tools to ensure firearms are being carried legally.
“The laws in our state say an individual can have open carry and permitless carry. So, we took the tools out of the toolbox for law enforcement to even be able to ask a person carrying a gun for identification or to be able to check to see if they have that gun legally,” Singleton said. “What my bill will do is allow anyone who is going to carry a gun either concealed or open to have to get a permit.”
Singleton said the proposal would require background checks and mental health screenings as part of the permitting process, adding that law abiding citizens should not object to those requirements.
Under the bill, previously issued concealed carry permits would remain valid, and certain exemptions would apply, including for individuals carrying a pistol on their own property, in their residence, or at their fixed place of business. Carrying an unloaded pistol locked in a secure container inside a vehicle would also be exempt. Violations of the permit requirement would be classified as a Class A misdemeanor.
The legislation would take effect Oct. 1, 2026, with the permit requirement beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
The same release also featured Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham, who said the current law limits what officers can do when responding to calls involving firearms.
“The current law puts a lot of restrictions on law enforcement,” Cunningham said, noting that his office frequently receives calls about people carrying guns but often cannot take action. “We’re hearing about more encounters because everyone’s got a gun.”
Cunningham said reinstating permits and requiring identification would improve public safety and restore oversight that existed prior to constitutional carry. He also pointed to the loss of permit revenue for sheriff’s departments under the current law.
“You have to have an ID to go buy beer or cigarettes, and to vote, but you don’t have to have an ID to carry a gun,” Cunningham said. “You have to have an ID to do everything in the world except carry a gun in Alabama.”
The sheriff said he opposed permitless carry when it was passed in 2022 and believes the issue will face strong opposition, including from national gun rights organizations.
“We already know this is going to be a fight,” Cunningham said. “We should be telling churches. We should be telling the business community. We need to start telling everybody.”
Senate Bill 267 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. Alabama currently has a Republican supermajority and unified control of state government, often described as both a Republican trifecta and a Republican triplex. A trifecta refers to one party holding the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, while a triplex means the same party controls the offices of governor, attorney general and secretary of state.
