Open carry is legal in Alabama. Just about any adult who isn’t a prohibited person can carry a handgun for all to see without a permit. But if you want to put a shirt tail or a jacket over your pistol, that requires special permission from the state.

Yesterday the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill to eliminate the permission slip. That would make the Yellowhammer State another constitutional carry jurisdiction if it becomes law.

You can imagine how happy that made a few (incoherent) law enforcement officers and red-shirted hoplophobic harridans.

Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham and Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones spoke in opposition to the bill, saying the permit requirement is an important tool for law enforcement. Sheriff(s) also depend on pistol permit fees to help support their operations. Dana Ellis of Hoover (not pictured above), a volunteer leader with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which promotes policies to reduce gun violence, and Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, also spoke in opposition to the bill. “Lawmakers who support eliminating the permitting system that keeps us safe don’t stand for Alabama voters,” Ellis said in a statement released by the organization. “What this comes down to is responsible gun ownership. If you want to carry a concealed gun in public, you should go through a background check.”

– Mike Cason in Committee approves bill to repeal Alabama pistol permit requirement