Alabama Firearm Laws

Any person, except a duly authorized law enforcement officer acting in the line of duty or person otherwise authorized by law, who hunts or discharges any firearm from, upon, or across any public road, public highway, or railroad, or the rights-of-way of any public road, public highway, or railroad, or any person, except a landowner or his or her immediate family hunting on land of the landowner, who hunts within 50 yards of a public road, public highway, or railroad, or their rights-of-way, with a centerfire rifle, a shotgun using slug or shot larger in diameter than manufacturer's standard designated number four shot, or a muzzleloading rifle .40 caliber or larger in this state, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished for the first offense by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000), and shall be punished for the second and each subsequent offense by a fine of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) and shall have all hunting license privileges revoked for one year from the date of conviction.

(Acts 1935, No. 383, p. 813, §23; Code 1940, T. 8, §105; Acts 1982, No. 82-522, p. 870, §1; Acts 1988, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 88-945, p. 566, §1; Act 99-442, p. 1007, §1; Act 2008-384, p. 714, §1.)

The carrying or possession of firearms within any wildlife management area, except while in possession of a valid permit allowing this privilege, is prohibited; provided, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to any authorized law enforcement officer nor to any officer of the United States forest service, the United States Bureau of Biological Survey, or of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources while in the pursuit of his official duty.

(Acts 1939, No. 668, p. 1061, §5; Code 1940, T. 8, §110(5).)

(Acts 1982, No. 82-442, p. 694, §1; Acts 1994, No. 94-635, p. 1195, §1; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §9.)

1. The authority to bring or settle any lawsuit in which the state has an exclusive interest or right to recover against any firearm or ammunition manufacturer, trade association, or dealer, and the authority to bring or settle any lawsuit on behalf of any governmental unit created by or pursuant to an act of the Legislature or the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, or any department, agency, or authority thereof, for damages, abatement, injunctive relief, or other equitable relief resulting from or relating to the design, manufacture, marketing, or lawful sale of firearms or ammunition, or both, shall be reserved exclusively to the Attorney General, by and with the consent of the Governor. This section shall not prohibit a county or municipal corporation from bringing an action against a firearms or ammunition manufacturer or dealer for breach of contract or warranty as to firearms or ammunition purchased by the political subdivision or local governmental authority.

(Act 2000-762, p. 1744, §1; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §1.)

The following definitions are applicable to this article:

1. BUILDING. Any structure which may be entered and utilized by persons for business, public use, lodging, or the storage of goods, and includes any vehicle, aircraft, or watercraft used for the lodging of persons or carrying on business therein. Each unit of a building consisting of two or more units separately occupied or secured is a separate building.
2. DEADLY PHYSICAL FORCE. Force which, under the circumstances in which it is used, is readily capable of causing death or serious physical injury.
3. DWELLING. A building which is usually occupied by a person lodging therein at night, or a building of any kind, including any attached balcony, whether the building is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile, which has a roof over it, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night.
4. FORCE. Physical action or threat against another, including confinement.
5. PREMISES. The term includes any building, as defined in this section, and any real property.
6. RESIDENCE. A dwelling in which a person resides either temporarily or permanently or is visiting as an invited guest.
7. VEHICLE. A motorized conveyance which is designed to transport people or property.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §670; Act 2006-303, p. 638, §1.)

1. Defense. - Except as otherwise expressly provided, justification or excuse under this article is a defense.
2. Danger to innocent persons. - If a person is justified or excused in using force against a person, but he recklessly or negligently injures or creates a substantial injury to another person, the justifications afforded by this article are unavailable in a prosecution for such recklessness or negligence.
3. Civil remedy unimpaired. - Any justification or excuse within the meaning of this article does not abolish or impair any civil remedy or right of action which is otherwise available.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §601.)

Unless inconsistent with other provisions of this article, or with some other provision of law, conduct which would otherwise constitute an offense is justifiable and not criminal when it is required or authorized by law or by a judicial decree or is performed by a public servant in the reasonable exercise of his official powers, duties or functions.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §605; Acts 1979, No. 79-471, p. 862, §1.)

1. A person is justified in using physical force upon another person in order to defend himself or herself or a third person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful physical force by that other person, and he or she may use a degree of force which he or she reasonably believes to be necessary for the purpose. A person may use deadly physical force, and is legally presumed to be justified in using deadly physical force in self-defense or the defense of another person pursuant to subdivision (4), if the person reasonably believes that another person is:
   1. Using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force.
   2. Using or about to use physical force against an occupant of a dwelling while committing or attempting to commit a burglary of such dwelling.
   3. Committing or about to commit a kidnapping in any degree, assault in the first or second degree, burglary in any degree, robbery in any degree, forcible rape, or forcible sodomy.
   4. Using or about to use physical force against an owner, employee, or other person authorized to be on business property when the business is closed to the public while committing or attempting to commit a crime involving death, serious physical injury, robbery, kidnapping, rape, sodomy, or a crime of a sexual nature involving a child under the age of 12.
   5. In the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or has unlawfully and forcefully entered, a dwelling, residence, business property, or occupied vehicle, or federally licensed nuclear power facility, or is in the process of sabotaging or attempting to sabotage a federally licensed nuclear power facility, or is attempting to remove, or has forcefully removed, a person against his or her will from any dwelling, residence, business property, or occupied vehicle when the person has a legal right to be there, and provided that the person using the deadly physical force knows or has reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act is occurring. The legal presumption that a person using deadly physical force is justified to do so pursuant to this subdivision does not apply if:
      1. The person against whom the defensive force is used has the right to be in or is a lawful resident of the dwelling, residence, or vehicle, such as an owner or lessee, and there is not an injunction for protection from domestic violence or a written pretrial supervision order of no contact against that person;
      2. The person sought to be removed is a child or grandchild, or is otherwise in the lawful custody or under the lawful guardianship of, the person against whom the defensive force is used;
      3. The person who uses defensive force is engaged in an unlawful activity or is using the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle to further an unlawful activity; or
      4. The person against whom the defensive force is used is a law enforcement officer acting in the performance of his or her official duties.
2. A person who is justified under subsection (a) in using physical force, including deadly physical force, and who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and is in any place where he or she has the right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), a person is not justified in using physical force if:
   1. With intent to cause physical injury or death to another person, he or she provoked the use of unlawful physical force by such other person.
   2. He or she was the initial aggressor, except that his or her use of physical force upon another person under the circumstances is justifiable if he or she withdraws from the encounter and effectively communicates to the other person his or her intent to do so, but the latter person nevertheless continues or threatens the use of unlawful physical force.
   3. The physical force involved was the product of a combat by agreement not specifically authorized by law.
4. 1. A person who uses force, including deadly physical force, as justified and permitted in this section is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the force was determined to be unlawful.
   2. Prior to the commencement of a trial in a case in which a defense is claimed under this section, the court having jurisdiction over the case, upon motion of the defendant, shall conduct a pretrial hearing to determine whether force, including deadly force, used by the defendant was justified or whether it was unlawful under this section. During any pretrial hearing to determine immunity, the defendant must show by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she is immune from criminal prosecution.
   3. If, after a pretrial hearing under subdivision (2), the court concludes that the defendant has proven by a preponderance of the evidence that force, including deadly force, was justified, the court shall enter an order finding the defendant immune from criminal prosecution and dismissing the criminal charges.
   4. If the defendant does not meet his or her burden of proving immunity at the pre-trial hearing, he or she may continue to pursue the defense of self-defense or defense of another person at trial. Once the issue of self-defense or defense of another person has been raised by the defendant, the state continues to bear the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt all of the elements of the charged conduct.
5. A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force described in subsection (a), but the agency may not arrest the person for using force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force used was unlawful."

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §610; Acts 1979, No. 79-599, p. 1060, §1; Act 2006-303, p. 638, §1; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §8; Act 2016-420, § 1)

The use of force upon another person is justified under any of the following circumstances:

1. A parent, guardian or other person responsible for the care and supervision of a minor or an incompetent person, and a teacher or other person responsible for the care and supervision of a minor for a special purpose, may use reasonable and appropriate physical force upon the minor or incompetent person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary and appropriate to maintain discipline or to promote the welfare of the minor or incompetent person.
2. A warden or other authorized official of a jail, prison or correctional institution may, in order to maintain order and discipline, use whatever physical force is authorized by law.
3. A person responsible for the maintenance of order in a common or contract carrier of passengers, or a person acting under his direction, may use reasonable physical force when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to maintain order, but he may use deadly physical force only when he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent death or serious physical injury.
4. A person acting under a reasonable belief that another person is about to commit suicide or to inflict serious physical injury upon himself may use reasonable physical force upon that person to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to thwart the result.
5. A duly licensed physician, or a person acting under his direction, may use reasonable physical force for the purpose of administering a reasonable and recognized form of treatment which he reasonably believes to be adapted to promoting the physical or mental health of the patient if:
   1. The treatment is administered with the consent of the patient or, if the patient is a minor or an incompetent person, with the consent of his parent, guardian or other person responsible for his care and supervision; or
   2. The treatment is administered in an emergency when the physician reasonably believes that no one competent to consent can be consulted and that a reasonable person, wishing to safeguard the welfare of the patient, would consent.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §615.)

1. A person in lawful possession or control of premises, as defined in Section 13A-3-20, or a person who is licensed or privileged to be thereon, may use physical force upon another person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent or terminate what he reasonably believes to be the commission or attempted commission of a criminal trespass by the other person in or upon such premises.
2. A person may use deadly physical force under the circumstances set forth in subsection (a) of this section only:
   1. In defense of a person, as provided in Section 13A-3-23; or
   2. When he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent the commission of arson in the first or second degree by the trespasser.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §620.)

A person is justified in using physical force, other than deadly physical force, upon another person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it to be necessary to prevent or terminate the commission or attempted commission by the other person of theft or criminal mischief with respect to property other than premises as defined in section 13A-3-20.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §625.)

1. A peace officer is justified in using that degree of physical force which he reasonably believes to be necessary, upon a person in order:
   1. To make an arrest for a misdemeanor, violation or violation of a criminal ordinance, or to prevent the escape from custody of a person arrested for a misdemeanor, violation or violation of a criminal ordinance, unless the peace officer knows that the arrest is unauthorized; or
   2. To defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of physical force while making or attempting to make an arrest for a misdemeanor, violation or violation of a criminal ordinance, or while preventing or attempting to prevent an escape from custody of a person who has been legally arrested for a misdemeanor, violation or violation of a criminal ordinance.
2. A peace officer is justified in using deadly physical force upon another person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary in order:
   1. To make an arrest for a felony or to prevent the escape from custody of a person arrested for a felony, unless the officer knows that the arrest is unauthorized; or
   2. To defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force.
3. Nothing in subdivision (a)(1), or (b)(1), or (f)(2) constitutes justification for reckless or criminally negligent conduct by a peace officer amounting to an offense against or with respect to persons being arrested or to innocent persons whom he is not seeking to arrest or retain in custody.
4. A peace officer who is effecting an arrest pursuant to a warrant is justified in using the physical force prescribed in subsections (a) and (b) unless the warrant is invalid and is known by the officer to be invalid.
5. Except as provided in subsection (f), a person who has been directed by a peace officer to assist him to effect an arrest or to prevent an escape from custody is justified in using physical force when and to the extent that he reasonably believes that force to be necessary to carry out the peace officer's direction.
6. A person who has been directed to assist a peace officer under circumstances specified in subsection (e) may use deadly physical force to effect an arrest or to prevent an escape only when:
   1. He reasonably believes that force to be necessary to defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force; or
   2. He is authorized by the peace officer to use deadly physical force and does not know that the peace officer himself is not authorized to use deadly physical force under the circumstances.
7. A private person acting on his own account is justified in using physical force upon another person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to effect an arrest or to prevent the escape from custody of an arrested person whom he reasonably believes has committed a felony and who in fact has committed that felony, but he is justified in using deadly physical force for the purpose only when he reasonably believes it necessary to defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force.
8. A guard or peace officer employed in a detention facility is justified:
   1. In using deadly physical force when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent what he reasonably believes to be the escape of a prisoner accused or convicted of a felony from any detention facility, or from armed escort or guard;
   2. In using physical force, but not deadly physical force, in all other circumstances when and to extent that he reasonably believes it necessary to prevent what he reasonably believes to be the escape of a prisoner from a detention facility.
   3. "Detention facility" means any place used for the confinement, pursuant to law, of a person:
      1. Charged with or convicted of an offense; or
      2. Charged with being or adjudicated a youthful offender, a neglected minor or juvenile delinquent; or
      3. Held for extradition; or
      4. Otherwise confined pursuant to an order of a criminal court.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §630; Acts 1979, No. 79-599, p. 1060, §1.)

A person may not use physical force to resist a lawful arrest by a peace officer who is known or reasonably appears to be a peace officer.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §635.)

1. It is a defense to prosecution that the actor engaged in the proscribed conduct because he was compelled to do so by the threat of imminent death or serious physical injury to himself or another.
2. The defense provided by this section is unavailable if the actor intentionally or recklessly placed himself in a situation in which it was probable that he would be subjected to duress. The defense is also unavailable if he was negligent in placing himself in such a situation, whenever negligence suffices to establish culpability for the offense charged.
3. It is no defense that a person acted at the command or persuasion of his or her spouse, unless such compulsion would establish a defense under this section. The presumption that a woman is subject to compulsion when acting in the presence of her husband is abolished.
4. The defense provided by this section is unavailable in a prosecution for:
   1. murder; or
   2. any killing of another under aggravated circumstances, as provided by Article 2 of Chapter 5 of this title.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §645; Acts 1979, No. 79-664, p. 1163, §1.)

The Alabama Criminal Code adopts the present case law on entrapment.

(Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §650; Acts 1979, No. 79-664, p. 1163, §1.)

1. A person commits the crime of disorderly conduct if, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, he:
   1. Engages in fighting or in violent tumultuous or threatening behavior.
   2. Makes unreasonable noise.
   3. In a public place uses abusive or obscene language or makes an obscene gesture.
   4. Without lawful authority, disturbs any lawful assembly or meeting of persons.
   5. Obstructs vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or a transportation facility.
   6. Congregates with other person in a public place and refuses to comply with a lawful order of law enforcement to disperse.
2. Disorderly conduct is a Class C misdemeanor.
3. It shall be a rebuttable presumption that the mere carrying of a visible pistol, holstered or secured, in a public place, in and of itself, is not a violation of this section.

Acts 1977, No. 607, p. 812, §5525; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §2.)

Except as otherwise provided in this Code, a person who carries concealed about his person a bowie knife or knife or instrument of like kind or description or a pistol or firearm of any other kind or an air gun shall, on conviction, be fined not less than $50.00 nor more than $500.00, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than six months.

(Code 1852, §15; Code 1867, §3555; Code 1876, §4109; Code 1886, §3775; Code 1896, §4420; Code 1907, §6421; Code 1923, §3485; Code 1940, T. 14, §161; Code 1975, §13-6-120.)

The defendant being tried under the provisions of Section 13A-11-50 may give evidence that at the time of carrying the weapon concealed, he had good reason to apprehend an attack, which the jury may consider in mitigation of the punishment or in justification of the offense.

(Code 1852, §15; Code 1867, §3555; Code 1876, §4109; Code 1886, §3775; Code 1896, §4420; Code 1907, §6421; Code 1923, §3485; Code 1940, T. 14, §162; Code 1975, §13-6-121.)

Except as otherwise provided in this article, no person shall carry a pistol about his person on private property not his own or under his control unless the person possesses a valid concealed weapon permit or the person has the consent of the owner or legal possessor of the premises; but this section shall not apply to any law enforcement officer in the lawful discharge of the duties of his office, or to United States marshal or his deputies, rural free delivery mail carriers in the discharge of their duties as such, bonded constables in the discharge of their duties as such, conductors, railway mail clerks and express messengers in the discharge of their duties.

(Acts 1919, No. 204, p. 196; Code 1923, §3487; Code 1940, T. 14, §163; Code 1975, §13-6-122; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §2.)

Anyone who carries concealed about his person brass knuckles, slingshots or other weapon of like kind or description shall, on conviction, be fined not less than $50.00 nor more than $500.00, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than six months.

(Code 1876, §4110; Code 1886, §3776; Code 1896, §4421; Code 1907, §6422; Code 1923, §3486; Code 1940, T. 14, §164; Code 1975, §13-6-123.)

Any person who carries a rifle or shotgun walking cane shall, on conviction, be fined not less than $500.00 nor more than $1,000.00, and be imprisoned in the penitentiary not less than two years.

(Code 1876, §4111; Code 1886, §3777; Code 1896, §4422; Code 1907, §6423; Code 1923, §3489; Code 1940, T. 14, §165; Code 1975, §13-6-124.)

In an indictment for carrying weapons unlawfully, it is sufficient to charge that the defendant carried concealed about his person a pistol, or other description of firearms, on premises not his own, or a bowie knife, or other knife or instrument of the like kind or description, or other forbidden weapon, describing it, as the case may be; and the excuse, if any, must be proved by the defendant on the trial, to the satisfaction of the jury; and if the evidence offered to excuse the charge raises a reasonable doubt of the defendant's guilt, the jury must acquit him.

(Code 1852, §586; Code 1867, §4136; Code 1876, §4809; Code 1886, §3779; Code 1896, §4424; Code 1907, §6425; Acts 1919, No. 204, p. 196; Code 1923, §3491; Code 1940, T. 14, §166; Code 1975, §13-6-125.)

Any person who, while fighting in the streets of any city or town, or at a militia muster, or at any public place, whether public in itself, or made public at the time by an assemblage of persons, uses or attempts to use, except in self-defense, any kind of firearms shall, on conviction, be fined not less than $200.00 nor more than $500.00, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not less than six months.

(Code 1852, §129; Code 1867, §3671; Code 1876, §4228; Code 1886, §4094; Code 1896, §5353; Code 1907, §6895; Code 1923, §4045; Code 1940, T. 14, §169; Code 1975, §13-6-127.)

1. Any person who sells, gives or lends to any minor any pistol except under the circumstances provided in Section 13A-11-72, bowie knife, or other knife of like kind or description, shall, on conviction, be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50) nor more than ive hundred dollars ($500).
2. This section does not apply to a transfer by inheritance of title to, but not possession of, a pistol, bowie knife, or other knife of like kind or description to a minor.

(Code 1852, §204; Code 1867, §3751; Code 1876, §4230; Code 1886, §4096; Code 1896, §5355; Code 1907, §6896; Code 1923, §4046; Code 1940, T. 14, §170; Code 1975, §13-6-128; Code 2015-341, § 1.)

1. Any resident of Alabama authorized to sell and deliver rifles, shotguns, and ammunition may sell and deliver them to a resident of any state where the sale of the firearms and ammunition is legal. Any purchaser of the firearm or ammunition may take or send it out of the state or have it delivered to his or her place of residence.
2. Any resident of Alabama who legally purchases rifles, shotguns, and ammunition in any state where the purchase is legal may take delivery of the weapons either in the state where they were purchased or in Alabama.

(Acts 1969, Ex. Sess., No. 175, p. 241; Code 1975, §13-6-130; Act 2007-196, p. 232, §1.)

1. For the purposes of this section, the following words have the following meanings:
   1. AMMUNITION. Any cartridge, shell, or projectile designed for use in a firearm.
   2. LICENSED DEALER. A person who is licensed pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 923 or Section 13A-11-79, to engage in the business of dealing in firearms.
   3. MATERIALLY FALSE INFORMATION. Information that portrays an illegal transaction as legal or a legal transaction as illegal.
   4. PRIVATE SELLER. A person who sells or offers for sale any firearm, as defined in Section 13A-8-1(4), or ammunition.
2. A person who knowingly solicits, persuades, encourages, or entices a licensed dealer or private seller of a firearm or ammunition to transfer a firearm or ammunition under circumstances which the person knows would violate the laws of this state or the United States is guilty of a Class C felony.
3. A person who provides to a licensed dealer or private seller of firearms or ammunition what the person knows to be materially false information with intent to deceive the dealer or seller about the legality of the transfer of a firearm or ammunition is guilty of a Class C felony.
4. This section does not apply to a peace officer acting in his or her official capacity or to a person acting at the direction of a peace officer.

(Act 2011-570, p. 1164, §1.)

1. For the purposes of this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this subsection, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
   1. DEMONSTRATION. Demonstrating, picketing, speechmaking or marching, holding of vigils and all other like forms of conduct which involve the communication or expression of views or grievances engaged in by one or more persons, the conduct of which has the effect, intent or propensity to draw a crowd or onlookers. Such term shall not include casual use of property by visitors or tourists which does not have an intent or propensity to attract a crowd or onlookers.
   2. FIREARM. Any pistol, rifle, shotgun or firearm of any kind, whether loaded or not.
   3. LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. Any duly appointed and acting federal, state, county or municipal law enforcement officer, peace officer or investigating officer, or any military or militia personnel called out or directed by constituted authority to keep the law and order, and any park ranger while acting as such on the grounds of a public park and who is on regular duty and present to actively police and control the demonstration, and who is assigned this duty by his department or agency. Such term does not include a peace officer on strike or a peace officer not on duty.
   4. PUBLIC PLACE. Any place to which the general public has access and a right to resort for business, entertainment or other lawful purpose, but does not necessarily mean a place devoted solely to the uses of the public. Such term shall include the front or immediate area or parking lot of any store, shop, restaurant, tavern, shopping center or other place of business. Such term shall also include any public building, the grounds of any public building, or within the curtilage of any public building, or in any public parking lot, public street, right-of-way, sidewalk right-of-way, or within any public park or other public grounds.
2. It shall be unlawful for any person, other than a law enforcement officer, to have in his or her possession or on his or her person or in any vehicle any firearm while participating in or attending any demonstration being held at a public place.
3. It shall be unlawful for any person, other than a law enforcement officer as defined in subsection (a) of this section, to have in his or her possession or about his or her person or in any vehicle at a point within 1,000 feet of a demonstration at a public place, any firearm after having first been advised by a law enforcement officer that a demonstration was taking place at a public place and after having been ordered by such officer to remove himself or herself from the prescribed area until such time as he or she no longer was in possession of any firearm. This subsection shall not apply to any person in possession of or having on his or her person any firearm within a private dwelling or other private building or structure.
4. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished as provided by law.

(Acts 1979, No. 79-455, p. 743; Code 1975, §13-6-131.)

1. Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the possession or sale of brass or steel teflon-coated handgun ammunition is illegal anywhere within the State of Alabama. The possession or sale of said ammunition or any ammunition of like kind designed to penetrate bullet-proof vests, shall be unlawful and punishable as provided in subsection (c) of this section.
2. The provisions of this section shall not apply to state or local law enforcement officers; nor shall it apply to the possession or sale of teflon-coated lead or brass ammunition designed to expand upon contact.
3. Any person who while armed with a firearm in the commission or attempted commission of any felony, has in his or her immediate possession, teflon-coated ammunition for such firearm, upon conviction of such felony or attempted felony, in addition and consecutive to the punishment prescribed for said felony or attempted felony, shall be punished by the imposition of an additional term of three years in the penitentiary.
4. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class C felony as defined by Section 13A-5-3.

(Acts 1982, No. 82-509.)

1. No person shall shoot or discharge a firearm, explosive or other weapon which discharges a dangerous projectile into any occupied or unoccupied dwelling or building or railroad locomotive or railroad car, aircraft, automobile, truck or watercraft in this state.
2. Any person who commits an act prohibited by subsection (a) with respect to an occupied dwelling or building or railroad locomotive or railroad car, aircraft, automobile, truck or watercraft shall be deemed guilty of a Class B felony as defined by the state criminal code, and upon conviction, shall be punished as prescribed by law.
3. Any person who commits any act prohibited by subsection (a) hereof with respect to an unoccupied dwelling or building or railroad locomotive or railroad car, aircraft, automobile, truck or watercraft shall be deemed guilty of a Class C felony as defined by the state criminal code, and upon conviction, shall be punished as prescribed by law.

(Acts 1984, No. 84-276, p. 463, §§1, 2.)

1. No person shall shoot or discharge a firearm into an occupied or unoccupied school bus or school building.
2. A person who shoots or discharges a firearm into an occupied school bus or school building shall be guilty of a Class B felony.
3. A person who shoots or discharges a firearm into an unoccupied school bus or school building shall be guilty of a Class C felony.
4. This section shall not be construed to repeal other criminal laws. Whenever conduct prescribed by any provision of this section is also prescribed by any other provision of law, the provision which carries the more serious penalty shall be applied.

(Act 2006-539, p. 1242, §§1, 2.)

1. In addition to any other place limited or prohibited by state or federal law, a person, including a person with a permit issued under Section 13A-11-75(a)(1) or recognized under Section 13A-11-85, may not knowingly possess or carry a firearm in any of the following places without the express permission of a person or entity with authority over the premises:
   1. Inside the building of a police, sheriff, or highway patrol station.
   2. Inside or on the premises of a prison, jail, halfway house, community corrections facility, or other detention facility for those who have been charged with or convicted of a criminal or juvenile offense.
   3. Inside a facility which provides inpatient or custodial care of those with psychiatric, mental, or emotional disorders.
   4. Inside a courthouse, courthouse annex, a building in which a District Attorney's office is located, or a building in which a county commission or city council is currently having a regularly scheduled or specially called meeting.
   5. Inside any facility hosting an athletic event not related to or involving firearms which is sponsored by a private or public elementary or secondary school or any private or public institution of postsecondary education, unless the person has a permit issued under Section 13A-11-75(a)(1) or recognized under Section 13A-11-85.
   6. Inside any facility hosting a professional athletic event not related to or involving firearms, unless the person has a permit issued under Section 13A-11-75(a)(1) or recognized under Section 13A-11-85.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), a person, including a person with a permit issued under Section 13A-11-75(a)(1) or recognized under Section 13A-11-85, may not, without the express permission of a person or entity with authority over the premises, knowingly possess or carry a firearm inside any building or facility to which access of unauthorized persons and prohibited articles is limited during normal hours of operation by the continuous posting of guards and the use of other security features, including, but not limited to, magnetometers, key cards, biometric screening devices, or turnstiles or other physical barriers. othing in this subsection otherwise restricts the possession, transportation, or storage of a lawfully possessed firearm or ammunition in an employee's privately-owned motor vehicle while parked or operated in a public or private parking area provided the employee complies with the requirements of Section 13A-11-90.
3. The person or entity with authority over the premises set forth in subsections (a)(1)-(6) and subsection (b) shall place a notice at the public entrances of such premises or buildings alerting those entering that firearms are prohibited.
4. Except as provided in subsections (a)(5) and (a)(6), any firearm on the premises of any facility set forth in subsection (a)(1), or subsections (a)(4)-(6), or subsection (b) must be kept from ordinary observation and locked within a compartment or in the interior of the person's motor vehicle or in a compartment or container securely affixed to the motor vehicle.
5. A violation of subsections (a), (b), or (d) is a Class C misdemeanor.
6. This section shall not prohibit any person from possessing a firearm within the person's residence or during ingress or egress thereto.
7. Prohibitions regarding the carrying of a firearm under this section shall not apply to law enforcement officers engaged in the lawful execution of their official duties or a qualified retired law enforcement officer as defined in the federal Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act of 2004, 18 U.S.C §926C.
8. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the carrying or possession of a firearm where prohibited by federal law.

(Act 2013-283, §6; Code 2015-341, § 1. Code 2018-529 § 1.)

1. The purpose of this section is to establish within the Legislature complete control over regulation and policy pertaining to firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories in order to ensure that such regulation and policy is applied uniformly throughout this state to each person subject to the state's jurisdiction and to ensure protection of the right to keep and bear arms recognized by the Constitutions of the State of Alabama and the United States. This section is to be liberally construed to accomplish its purpose.
2. For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the following meanings:
   1. AMMUNITION. Fixed cartridge ammunition, shotgun shells, the individual components of fixed cartridge ammunition and shotgun shells, projectiles for muzzle-loading firearms, and any propellant used in firearms or ammunition.
   2. EXPRESSLY AUTHORIZED BY A STATUTE OF THIS STATE. The authority of a political subdivision to regulate firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories that is granted by a duly enacted state law that specifically mentions firearms, a particular type of firearm, ammunition, or a particular type of ammunition.
   3. FIREARM ACCESSORY. A device specifically designed or adapted to enable the wearing or carrying about one's person, or the storage or mounting in or on a conveyance, of a firearm, or an attachment or device specifically designed or adapted to be inserted into or affixed onto a firearm to enable, alter, or improve the functioning or capabilities of the firearm.
   4. FIREARM. This term has the same meaning as in Section 13A-8-1(4).
   5. PERSON ADVERSELY AFFECTED. Any of the following:
      1. A resident of this state who may legally possess a firearm under the laws of this state and the United States and who is either of the following:
         1. Subject to any manner of regulation alleged to be promulgated or enforced in violation of this section, whether or not specific enforcement action has been initiated or threatened against that person or another person.
         2. If the person were present in the political subdivision in question, subject to any manner of regulation alleged to be promulgated or enforced in violation of this section, whether or not specific enforcement action has been initiated or threatened against that person or another person.
      2. A person who otherwise has standing under the laws of this state to bring an action under subsection (f).
      3. A membership organization if its members would otherwise have standing to sue in their own right, if the interests it seeks to protect are germane to the organization's purpose, and neither the claim asserted nor the relief requested requires the participation of individual members in the lawsuit.
   6. POLITICAL SUBDIVISION. A county, incorporated city, unincorporated city, public local entity, public-private partnership, and any other public entity of a county or city commonly considered to be a political subdivision of the state.
   7. PUBLIC OFFICIAL. Any person elected to public office, whether or not that person has taken office, by the vote of the people of a political subdivision or its instrumentalities, including governmental corporations, and any person appointed to a position at the municipal level of government or its instrumentalities, including governmental corporations.
   8. REASONABLE EXPENSES. The expenses involved in litigation, including, but not limited to, expert witness fees, court costs, and compensation for loss of income.
3. Except as otherwise provided in Act 2013-283 or as expressly authorized by a statute of this state, the Legislature hereby occupies and preempts the entire field of regulation in this state touching in any way upon firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories to the complete exclusion of any order, ordinance, or rule promulgated or enforced by any political subdivision of this state.
4. The authority of a political subdivision to regulate firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories shall not be inferred from its proprietary authority, home rule status, or any other inherent or general power.
5. Any existing orders, ordinances, or rules promulgated or enforced contrary to the terms of this section are null and void and any future order, ordinance, or rules shall comply with this section.
6. 1. A person adversely affected by any order, ordinance, or rule promulgated in violation of this section may file a petition with the Attorney General requesting that he or she bring an action in circuit court for declarative and injunctive relief. The petition must be signed under oath and under penalty of perjury and must include specific details regarding the alleged violations.
   2. If, after investigation of the enactment or adoption of the order, ordinance, or rule, the Attorney General determines that there is reasonable cause to proceed with an action, he or she shall provide the political subdivision or public official enacting or adopting the order, ordinance, or rule 60 days' notice of his or her intent to file an action. Upon the expiration of the 60 days' notice, the Attorney General may file the suit.
   3. If, after investigation of the enactment or adoption of the order, ordinance, or rule, the Attorney General determines that there is no reasonable cause to proceed with an action, he or she shall publicly state in writing the justification for the determination not to file suit.
   4. The Attorney General shall either bring an action or publicly state, within 90 days of receipt of the petition, in the written justification why a violation of the spirit of this section, specifically subsections (a) and (c), has not occurred.
   5. The court may award reimbursement for actual and reasonable expenses to a person adversely affected if an action under this subsection results in a final determination in favor of the person adversely affected.
7. This section shall not be construed to prevent any of the following:
   1. A duly organized law enforcement agency of a political subdivision from promulgating and enforcing rules pertaining to firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories that it issues to or that are used by the political subdivision's peace officers in the course of their official duties.
   2. An employer from regulating or prohibiting an employee's carrying or possession of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition during and in the course of the employee's official duties.
   3. A prosecutor, court or administrative law judge from hearing and resolving a case or controversy or issuing an opinion or order on a matter within its jurisdiction.
   4. The enactment or enforcement of a generally applicable zoning or business ordinance that includes firearms businesses along with other businesses, provided that an ordinance designed or enforced effectively to restrict or prohibit the sale, purchase, transfer, manufacture, or display of firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories that is otherwise lawful under the laws of this state is in conflict with this section and is void.
   5. A political subdivision from enacting and enforcing rules of operation and use for any firearm range owned or operated by the political subdivision.
   6. A political subdivision from sponsoring or conducting any firearm-related competition or educational or cultural program and from enacting and enforcing rules for participation in or attendance at such program, provided that nothing in this section authorizes or permits a political subdivision to offer remuneration for the surrender or transfer of a privately owned firearm to the political subdivision or another party as a method of reducing the number of privately owned firearms within the political subdivision.
   7. Any official of a political subdivision, a sheriff, or other law enforcement officer with appropriate authority and jurisdiction from enforcing any law enacted by the Legislature.
   8. A sheriff of a county from acting on an application for a permit under Section 13A-11-75.
   9. A political subdivision from leasing public property to another person or entity for a gun show or other firearm-related event on terms agreeable to both parties.
   10. The adoption or enforcement by a county or municipality of ordinances which make the violation of a state firearm law a violation of an ordinance, provided that the elements of the local ordinance may not differ from the state firearm law, nor may the local ordinance impose a higher penalty than what is imposed under the state firearm law.
   11. A municipality from regulating the discharge of firearms within the limits of the municipality or a county from exercising any authority it has under law, to regulate the discharge of firearms within the jurisdiction of the county. The discharge of a firearm in defense of one's self or family or in defense of one's property may not be construed to be a violation of state law or any ordinance or rule of a political subdivision of this state.
   12. A county or a municipality from exercising any authority it has to assess, enforce, and collect generally applicable sales taxes, use taxes, and gross receipts taxes in the nature of sales taxes as defined by Section 40-2A-3(8), on the retail sale of firearms, ammunition, and firearm accessories along with other goods, provided that no such tax imposed by a county or municipality may apply at a higher rate to firearms, ammunition, or firearm accessories than the general sales tax rate of the jurisdiction.

(Act 2013-283, §7.)

For purposes of this division, the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

1. FIREARM. Definition is same as provided in Section 13A-8-1(4).
2. RIFLE. Any weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed metallic cartridge to fire only a single projectile through a rifled bore for each pull of the trigger.
3. SHOTGUN. A weapon designed or redesigned, made or remade, and intended to be fired from the shoulder and designed or redesigned and made or remade to use the energy of the explosive in a fixed shotgun shell to fire through a smooth bore either a number of ball shot or a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger.
4. SHORT-BARRELED RIFLE. A rifle having one or more barrels less than 16 inches in length and any weapon made from a rifle (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon, as modified, has an overall length of less than 26 inches.
5. SHORT-BARRELED SHOTGUN. A shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches.

(Acts 1982, No. 82-430, §1.)

1. A person who possesses, obtains, receives, sells, or uses a short-barreled rifle or a short-barreled shotgun in violation of federal law is guilty of a Class C felony.
2. This section does not apply to a peace officer who possesses, obtains, receives, sells, or uses a short-barreled rifle or a short-barreled shotgun in the course of or in connection with his or her official duties.

(Acts 1982, No. 82-430, §2; Act 2010-496, p. 766, §1.)

A person who either:

1. Changes, alters, removes, or obliterates the name of the maker, model, manufacturer's number or other mark or identification of any firearm, or
2. Possesses, obtains, receives, sells, or uses a firearm after the maker, model, manufacturer's number or other mark or identification has been changed, altered, removed, or obliterated, is guilty of a Class C felony.

(Acts 1982, No. 82-430, §3.)

Violation of Section 13A-11-63(a) or Section 13A-11-64 in the course of, or in connection with the commission of any other felony shall be a Class B felony, and the punishment imposed therefor shall be in addition to the punishment imposed for the other felony.

(Acts 1982, No. 82-430, §4.)

This division is supplemental to any other law and the penalties provided herein are in addition to any other penalties provided by law. This division shall not be construed to limit or in any way reduce the minimum and maximum penalties provided in any other law.

(Acts 1982, No. 82-430, §5.)

For the purposes of this division, the following terms shall have the respective meanings ascribed by this section:

1. PISTOL. Any firearm with a barrel less than 12 inches in length.
2. CRIME OF VIOLENCE. Any of the following crimes or an attempt to commit any of them, namely, murder, manslaughter, (except manslaughter arising out of the operation of a vehicle), rape, mayhem, assault with intent to rob, assault with intent to ravish, assault with intent to murder, robbery, burglary, and kidnapping. "Crime of violence" shall also mean any Class A felony or any Class B felony that has as an element serious physical injury, the distribution or manufacture of a controlled substance, or is of a sexual nature involving a child under the age of 12.
3. PERSON. Such term includes any firm, partnership, association or corporation.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §172; Acts 1947, No. 616, p. 463, §1; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-150; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §2.)

If any person shall commit or attempt to commit a crime of violence when armed with a pistol, he may, in addition to the punishment provided for the crime, be punished also as provided by this division. In the trial of a person for committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence, the fact that he was armed with a pistol and had no license to carry the same shall be prima facie evidence of his intention to commit said crime of violence.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §173; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-151.)

1. No person who has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence, misdemeanor offense of domestic violence, violent offense as listed in Section 12-25-32(14), anyone who is subject to a valid protection order for domestic abuse, or anyone of unsound mind shall own a firearm or have one in his or her possession or under his or her control.
2. No person who is a minor, except under thecircumstances provided in this section, drug addict, or an habitual drunkard shall own a pistol or have one in his or her possession or under his or her control.
3. Subject to the exceptions provided by Section 13A-11-74, no person shall knowingly with intent to do bodily harm carry or possess a deadly weapon on the premises of a public school.
4. Possession of a deadly weapon with the intent to do bodily harm on the premises of a public school in violation of subsection (c) of this section is a Class C felony.
5. School security personnel and school resource officers qualified under subsection (a) of Section 16-1-44.1, employed by a local board of education, and authorized by the employing local board of education to carry a deadly weapon while on duty are exempt from subsection (c) of this section. Law enforcement officers are exempt from this section, and persons with pistol permits issued pursuant to Section 13A-11-75, are exempt from subsection (c) of this section.
6. A person shall not be in violation of Section 13A-11-57 or 13A-11-76 and a minor shall not be in violation of this section if the minor has permission to possess a pistol from a parent or legal guardian who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, and any of the following are satisfied:
   1. The minor is attending a hunter education course or a firearms safety course under the supervision of an adult who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.
   2. The minor is engaging in practice in the use of a firearm or target shooting at an established range under the supervision of an adult who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.
   3. The minor is engaging in an organized competition involving the use of a firearm or participating in or practicing for a performance by an organized group under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) which uses firearms as part of the performance.
   4. The minor is hunting or fishing pursuant to a valid license, if required, and the person has the license in his or her possession; has written permission of the owner or legal possessor of the land on which the activities are being conducted; and the pistol, when loaded, is carried only in a manner discernible by ordinary observation.
   5. The minor is on real property under the control of the minor's parent, legal guardian, or grandparent.
   6. The minor is a member of the armed services or National Guard and the minor is acting in the line of duty.
   7. The minor is traveling by motor vehicle to any of the locations or activities listed in subdivisions (1) through (6), has written permission to possess the pistol by his or her parent or legal guardian, and the pistol is unloaded, locked in a compartment or container that is in or affixed securely to the motor vehicle and is out of reach of the driver and any passenger in the motor vehicle.
7. This section does not apply to a minor who uses a pistol while acting in self-defense of himself or herself or other persons against an intruder into the residence of the minor or a residence in which the minor is an invited guest.
8. The term "school resource officer" as used in this section means an Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commissioner-certified law enforcement officer employed by a law enforcement agency who is specifically selected and specially trained for the school setting.
9. The term "public school" as used in this section applies only to a school composed of grades K-12 and shall include a school bus used for grades K-12.
10. The term "deadly weapon" as used in this section means a firearm or anything manifestly designed, made, or adapted for the purposes of inflicting death or serious physical injury, and such term includes, but is not limited to, a bazooka, hand grenade, missile, or explosive or incendiary device; a pistol, rifle, or shotgun; or a switch-blade knife, gravity knife, stiletto, sword, or dagger; or any club, baton, billy, black-jack, bludgeon, or metal knuckles.
11. 1. The term "convicted" as used in this section requires that the person was represented by counsel in the case, or knowingly and intelligently waived the right to counsel in the case if required by law, and either the case was tried before a judge, tried by a jury, or the person knowingly and intelligently waived the right to have the case tried, by guilty plea or otherwise.
    2. A person may not be considered to have been convicted for the purposes of this section if the person is not considered to have been convicted in the jurisdiction in which the proceedings were held or the conviction has been expunged, set aside, or is of an offense for which the person has been pardoned or has had civil rights restored, unless the pardon, expungement, or restoration of civil rights expressly provides that the person may not ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms.
12. The term "misdemeanor offense of domestic violence" as used in this section means a misdemeanor offense that has, as its elements, the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon, and the victim is a current or former spouse, parent, child, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, or a present or former household member.
13. The term "valid protection order" as used in this section means an order issued after a hearing of which the person received actual notice, and at which the person had an opportunity to participate, that does any of the following:
    1. Restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening a qualified individual or child of the qualified individual or person or engaging in other conduct that would place a qualified individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury to the individual or child and that includes a finding that the person represents a credible threat to the physical safety of the qualified individual or child.
    2. By its terms, explicitly prohibits the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the qualified individual or child that would reasonably be expected to cause bodily injury.
14. The term "qualified individual" as used in subsection (k), means a spouse or former spouse of the person, an individual who is a parent of a child of the person, or an individual who cohabitates or has cohabited with the person.
15. The term "unsound mind" as used in this section includes any person who is subject to any of the findings listed below, and who has not had his or her rights to possess a firearm reinstated by operation of law or legal process:
    1. Found by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease, is a danger to himself or herself or others or lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his or her own affairs.
    2. Found to be insane, not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, found mentally incompetent to stand trial, or found not guilty by a reason of lack of mental responsibility by a court in a criminal case, to include state, federal and military courts.
    3. Involuntarily committed for a final commitment for inpatient treatment to the Department of Mental Health or a Veterans' Administration hospital by a court after a hearing.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §174; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-152; Acts 1994, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 94-817, §1; Act 2013-288, §2; Code 2015-341, § 1.)

1. Except on land under his or her control or in his or her own abode or his or her own fixed place of business, no person shall carry a pistol in any vehicle or concealed on or about his or her person without a permit issued under Section 13A-11-75(a)(1) or recognized under Section 13A-11-85.
2. Except as otherwise prohibited by law, a person legally permitted to possess a pistol, but who does not possess a valid concealed weapon permit, may possess an unloaded pistol in his or her motor vehicle if the pistol is locked in a compartment or container that is in or affixed securely to the vehicle and out of reach of the driver and any passenger in the vehicle.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §175; Acts 1947, No. 616, p. 463, §3; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Acts 1956, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 43, p. 336; Code 1975, §13-6-153; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §2.)

The provisions of Section 13A-11-73 shall not apply to marshals, sheriffs, prison and jail wardens and their regularly employed deputies, policemen and other law enforcement officers of any state or political subdivision thereof, or to the members of the army, navy or marine corps of the United States or of the national guard, or to the members of the national guard organized reserves or state guard organizations when on duty or going to or from duty, or to the regularly enrolled members of any organization duly authorized to purchase or receive such weapons from the United States or from this state; provided, that such members are at or are going to or from their places of assembly or target practices, or to officers or employees of the United States duly authorized to carry a pistol, or to any person engaged in manufacturing, repairing or dealing in pistols, or the agent or representative of such person possessing, using, or carrying a pistol in the usual or ordinary course of such business, or to any common carrier, except taxicabs, licensed as a common carrier, or to any person permitted by law to possess a pistol while carrying it unloaded in a secure wrapper, from the place of purchase to his home or place of business, or to or from a place of repair or in moving from one place of abode or business to another.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §176; Acts 1947, No. 616, p. 463, §4; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-154.)

1. 1. 1. The sheriff of a county, upon the application of any person residing in that county, within 30 days from receipt of a complete application and accompanying fee, shall issue or renew permit for such person to carry a pistol in a vehicle or concealed on or about his or her person within this state for one to five year increments, as requested by the person seeking the permit, from date of issue, unless the sheriff determines that the person is prohibited from the possession of a pistol or firearm pursuant to state or federal law, or has a reasonable suspicion that the person may use a weapon unlawfully or in such other manner that would endanger the person's self or others. In making such determination, the sheriff may consider whether the applicant:
         1. Was found guilty but mentally ill in a criminal case.
         2. Was found not guilty in a criminal case by reason of insanity or mental disease or defect.
         3. Was declared incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case.
         4. Asserted a defense in a criminal case of not guilty by reason of insanity or mental disease or defect.
         5. Was found not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
         6. Required involuntary inpatient treatment in a psychiatric hospital or similar treatment facility.
         7. Required involuntary outpatient treatment in a psychiatric hospital or similar treatment facility based on a finding that the person is an imminent danger to himself or herself or to others.
         8. Required involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital or similar treatment facility for any reason, including drug use.
         9. Is or was the subject of a prosecution or of a commitment or incompetency proceeding that could lead to a prohibition on the receipt or possession of a firearm under the laws of Alabama or the United States.
         10. Falsified any portion of the permit application.
         11. Caused justifiable concern for public safety.
      2. The sheriff shall take into account how recent any consideration under paragraph a. is in relation to the date of the application. The sheriff shall provide a written statement of the reasons for a denial of a permit and the evidence upon which it is based must be disclosed to the applicant, unless disclosure would interfere with a criminal investigation.
      3. Except as otherwise provided by the laws of this state, a permit issued under this subdivision is valid throughout the state
      4. Except as expressly provided in this section, a sheriff may not place conditions or requirements on the issuance of a pistol permit or limit its scope or applicability.
   2. 1. The sheriff may revoke a permit issued under subdivision (1) for any reason that could lead to a denial of a permit under that subdivision.
      2. The sheriff shall provide a written statement of the reasons for the revocation and the evidence upon which it is based must be disclosed to the applicant, unless disclosure would interfere with a criminal investigation.
   3. A person who is denied a permit under subdivision (1), or a person whose permit is revoked under subdivision (2), within 30 days of notification of the denial or revocation, may appeal the denial or revocation to the district court of the county where the denial or revocation was issued. Upon a review of a denial under this subdivision, the sheriff shall have the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that the person is prohibited from possession of a pistol or other firearm pursuant to state or federal law or, based on any of the considerations enumerated in the subsection (a)(1) of this section that the person may use a weapon unlawfully or in such other manner as would endanger the person's self or others if granted a permit to carry a concealed weapon under this section.
   4. Within 30 days of receipt of the appeal, the district court shall review the appeal and issue a determination providing the reasons for the determination.
   5. If the district court issues a determination in favor of a person whose permit was denied or revoked, the person shall be issued a permit or the permit must be reinstated no later than the close of business on the fifth business day following the district court's transmittal of its order to the appropriate sheriff.
   6. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit a sheriff to disregard any federal law or regulation pertaining to the purchase or possession of a firearm.
2. Each permit shall be written or in an electronic or digital form to be prescribed by the Secretary of State in consultation with the Alabama Sheriff's Association, and shall bear the name, address, description, and signature of the permittee. The original hardcopy of the permit shall be issued to the permittee, and a duplicate shall, within seven days, be sent by registered or certified mail to the Director of Public Safety. The application and a copy shall be preserved for six years by the authority issuing the same. The sheriff may charge a fee as provided by local law for the issuance of the permit under subdivision (1) of subsection (a). The amount of the fee for a period of one year up to five years shall be the amount of the fee as prescribed by local law multiplied by the number of years of the permit requested by the applicant. The fee shall be paid into the county treasury unless otherwise provided by local law. Prior to issuance or renewal of a permit, the sheriff shall contact available local, state, and federal criminal history data banks, including the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, to determine whether possession of a firearm by an applicant would be a violation of state or federal law.
3. A sheriff may not place a time constraint or other requirement upon the taking possession of a pistol permit by the applicant after he or she has been notified that his or her pistol permit has been approved.
4. For the convenience of the applicant, the sheriff may provide for application or renewal of a permit under subdivision (1) through electronic means. The sheriff may also accept payment for a permit by debit or credit card or other consumer electronic payment method. Any transaction or banking fee charged for the electronic payment method shall be paid by the applicant.
5. If a person who is not a United States citizen applies for a permit under this section, the sheriff shall conduct an Immigration Alien Query through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or any successor agency, and the application form shall require information relating to the applicant's country of citizenship, place of birth, and any alien or admission number issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or any successor agency. The sheriff shall review the results of these inquiries before making a determination of whether to issue a permit or renewal permit. A person who is unlawfully present in this state may not be issued a permit under this section.
6. The name, address, signature, photograph, and any other personally identifying information collected from an applicant or permittee under this section shall be kept confidential, shall be exempt from disclosure under Section 36-12-40, and may only be used for law enforcement purposes except when a current permittee is charged in any state with a felony involving the use of a pistol. All other information on permits under this section, including information concerning the annual number of applicants, number of permits issued, number of permits denied or revoked, revenue from issuance of permits, and any other fiscal or statistical data otherwise, shall remain public writings subject to public disclosure. Except as provided above, the sheriff of a county shall redact the name, address, signature, photograph, and any other personally identifying information of an permit holder before releasing a copy of a permit for a non-law enforcement purpose. The sheriff may charge one dollar ($1) per copy of any redacted permit record requested other than when requested for law enforcement purposes. To knowingly publish or release to the public in any form any information or records related to the licensing process, or the current validity of any permit, except as authorized in this subsection or in response to a court order or subpoena, is a Class A misdemeanor.
7. A concealed pistol permit issued under this section shall be valid for the carrying of a pistol in a motor vehicle or concealed on the permittee's person throughout the state, unless prohibited by this section.
8. This section shall not be construed to limit or place any conditions upon a person's right to carry a pistol that is not in a motor vehicle or not concealed.
9. If a person issued a pistol permit in this state establishes residence in another state, the pistol permit shall expire upon the establishment of residence in the other state.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §177; Acts 1947, No. 616, p. 463, §5; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-155; Act 2006-551, p. 1268, §1; Act 2009-711, p. 2093, §1; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §2; Acts 2018, no. 2018-400, §1; Act 2019-440, §1.)

1. The words retired military veteran as used in this section, unless the context clearly requires a different meaning, means only those persons who are retirees from active duty in the Army, or the Navy, or the Marine Corps, or the Air Force, or the Coast Guard of the United States or any reserve or National Guard component thereof.
2. Any retired military veteran who meets the conditions for issuance of a pistol permit pursuant to Section 13A-11-75 shall be eligible to obtain the pistol permit without paying a fee for the permit. Upon approval of the pistol permit application, the pistol permit shall be issued by the sheriff of the county in which the veteran resides upon presentation by the retired military veteran of the United States government issued Veteran Identification Card or a DD-214 Proof of Military Service form and sufficient proof that the person is a military retiree. The retired military veteran shall apply for renewal as required by law, but shall be eligible to obtain renewed pistol permits without paying a fee as long as he or she meets the conditions for renewal of the permit.
3. In the event a retired veteran, to whom a pistol permit has been issued pursuant to subsection (b), charged with or convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude, as defined in Section 17-3-30.1, domestic violence in the first degree, as defined in Section 13A-6-130, or domestic violence in the second degree, as defined in Section 13A-6-131, then the sheriff of the county in which the retired veteran resides may revoke the pistol permit. The sheriff shall notify the retired veteran in writing and by registered mail that his or her pistol permit is revoked. The sheriff shall state the reasons for the revocation and order the retiree to return his or her pistol permit to that sheriff within 30 days. Should the retired veteran refuse to return the pistol permit within the 30-day limit and continue to carry the handgun, he or she shall be guilty of carrying a weapon without a license or carrying a concealed weapon, whichever might be the case.

(Act 2016-342, §1; Act 2016-453, 1st Sp. Sess., §1; Acts 2019-525, § 1.)

1. Except as provided in subsection (b), no person shall deliver a pistol to any person who he or she has reasonable cause to believe is a minor, except under the circumstances provided in Section 13A-11-72, a drug addict, an habitual drunkard, or a person or of unsound mind has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence, misdemeanor offense of domestic violence, a violent offense as listed in Section 12-25-32(14), or anyone who is subject to a valid protection order for domestic abuse, or anyone of unsound mind.
2. A person may deliver a pistol to a person otherwise prohibited from receiving a pistol under subsection (a), if the person has had his or her firearm rights restored by operation of law or legal process.
3. For the purposes of this subsection, the terms "convicted," "misdemeanor offense of domestic violence," "valid protection order," and "unsound mind" shall have the same meanings as provided in Section 13A-11-72.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §178; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-156; Code 2015-341, § 1.)

No retail dealer shall sell or otherwise transfer, or expose for sale or transfer, or have in his possession with intent to sell, or otherwise transfer, any pistol without being licensed as hereinafter provided.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §180; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-158.)

1. The duly constituted licensing authorities of any city, town or political subdivision of this state may grant licenses in forms prescribed by the secretary of state, effective for not more than one year from date of issue, permitting the licensee to sell pistols at retail within this state subject to the following conditions, for breach of any of which the license shall be forfeited and the licensee subject to punishment as provided in this division. The business shall be carried on only in the building designated in the license. The license or a copy thereof, certified by the issuing authority, shall be displayed on the premises where it can easily be read. The fee for issuing the license shall be $.50, which fee shall be paid into the State Treasury.
2. "(b) All records of pistol, revolver, or maxim silencer sales that are maintained or in the custody of dealers, the chief of police, the sheriff, or the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 13A-11-79 or Section 40-12-143, including any records or databases compiled as a result of or based on the records or information so maintained or received, shall be permanently removed and destroyed without reproduction of the removed documents no later than 180 days of the effective date of the act adding this subsection. This section does not apply to any record necessary for an active investigation or ongoing prosecution.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §181; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-159; Code 2015-341, § 1.)

No person shall make any loan secured by a mortgage, deposit or pledge of a pistol contrary to this division, nor shall any person lend or give a pistol to another or otherwise deliver a pistol contrary to the provisions of this division.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §182; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-160.)

No person shall, in purchasing or otherwise securing delivery of a pistol or in applying for a license to carry the same, give false information or offer false evidence of his identity.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §183; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-161.)

This division shall not apply to the purchase, possession or sale of pistols as curiosities or ornaments or to the transportation of such pistols unloaded and in a bag, box or securely wrapped package, but not concealed on the person.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §185; Acts 1947, No. 616, p. 463, §7; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Code 1975, §13-6-163.)

1. Every violation of subsection (a) of Section 13A-11-72 or Section 13A-11-81 shall be a Class C felony. Every violation of subsection (b) of Section 13A-11-72 or Sections 13A-11-73, 13A-11-74, 13A-11-76, and 13A-11-77 through 13A-11-80 shall be a Class A misdemeanor. The punishment for violating Section 13A-11-78 or 13A-11-79 may include revocation of license.
2. It shall be the duty of any sheriff, policeman or other peace officer of the State of Alabama, arresting any person charged with violating Sections 13A-11-71 through 13A-11-73, or any one or more of those sections, to seize the pistol or pistols in the possession or under the control of the person or persons charged with violating the section or sections, and to deliver the pistol or pistols to one of the following named persons: if a municipal officer makes the arrest, to the city clerk or custodian of stolen property of the municipality employing the arresting officer; if a county, state, or other peace officer makes the arrest, to the sheriff of the county in which the arrest is made. The person receiving the pistol or pistols from the arresting officer shall keep it in a safe place in as good condition as received until disposed of as hereinafter provided. Within five days after the final conviction of any person arrested for violating any of the above-numbered sections, the person receiving possession of the pistol or pistols, seized as provided in this section, shall report the seizure and detention of the pistol or pistols to the district attorney within the county where the pistol or pistols are seized, giving a full description thereof, the number, make and model thereof, the name of the person in whose possession it was found when seized, the person making claim to same or any interest therein, if the name can be ascertained or is known, and the date of the seizure. Upon receipt of the report from the person receiving possession of the pistol or pistols, it shall be the duty of the district attorney within the county wherein the pistol or pistols were seized to forthwith file a complaint in the circuit court of the proper county, praying that the seized pistol or pistols be declared contraband, be forfeited to the state and be destroyed. Any person, firm or corporation or association of persons in whose possession said pistol or pistols may be seized or who claim to own the same or any interest therein shall be made a party defendant to the complaint, and thereupon the matter shall proceed and be determined in the circuit court of the proper county in the same form and manner, as near as may be, as in the forfeiture and destruction of gaming devices, except as otherwise provided. When any judgment of condemnation and forfeiture is made in any case filed under this section, the judge making the judgment shall direct the destruction of the pistol or pistols by the person receiving possession of the pistol or pistols from the arresting officer in the presence of the clerk or register of the court, unless the judge is of the opinion that the nondestruction thereof is necessary or proper in the ends of justice, in which event and upon recommendation of the district attorney, the judge shall award the pistol or pistols to the sheriff of the county or to the chief of police of the municipality to be used exclusively by the sheriff or the chief of police in the enforcement of law, and the sheriff of the county and the chiefs of police of the municipalities shall keep a permanent record of all pistols awarded to them as provided for in this section, to be accounted for as other public property, and the order, in the event that no appeal is taken within 15 days from the rendition thereof, shall be carried out and executed before the expiration of 20 days from the date of the judgment. The court may direct in the judgment that the costs of the proceedings be paid by the person in whose possession the pistol or pistols were found when seized, or by any party or parties who claim to own the pistol or pistols, or any interest therein, and who contested the condemnation and forfeiture thereof.

(Acts 1936, Ex. Sess., No. 82, p. 51; Code 1940, T. 14, §186; Acts 1947, No. 616, p. 463, §8; Acts 1951, No. 784, p. 1378; Acts 1967, No. 505, p. 1218; Code 1975, §13-6-164; Code 2015-341, § 1.)

1. A person licensed to carry a handgun in any state shall be authorized to carry a handgun in this state. This section shall apply to a license holder from another state only while the license holder is not a resident of this state. A license holder from another state shall carry the handgun in compliance with the laws of this state.
2. The Attorney General is authorized to enter into reciprocal agreements with other states for the mutual recognition of licenses to carry handguns and shall periodically publish a list of states which recognize licenses issued pursuant to Section 13A-11-75.

(Act 2001-494, p. 862, §1; Acts 2013, no. 2013-283, §2.)

1. Except as provided in subdivision (b), a public or private employer may restrict or prohibit its employees, including those with a permit issued or recognized under Section 13A-11-75, from carrying firearms while on the employer's property or while engaged in the duties of the person's employment.
2. A public or private employer may not restrict or prohibit the transportation or storage of a lawfully possessed firearm or ammunition in an employee’s privately owned motor vehicle while parked or operated in a public or private parking area if the employee satisfies all of the following:
   1. The employee either:
      1. Has a valid concealed weapon permit; or
      2. If the weapon is any firearm legal for use for hunting in Alabama other than a pistol:
         1. The employee possesses a valid Alabama hunting license;
         2. The weapon is unloaded at all times on the property;
         3. It is during a season in which hunting is permitted by Alabama law or regulation;
         4. The employee has never been convicted of any crime of violence as that term is defined in Section 13A-11-70, nor of any crime set forth in Chapter 6 of Title 13A, nor is subject to a Domestic Violence Order, as that term is defined in Section 13A-6-141;
         5. The employee does not meet any of the factors set forth in Section 13A-11-75(a)(1)a.1-8; and
         6. The employee has no documented prior workplace incidents involving the threat of physical injury or which resulted in physical injury.
   2. The motor vehicle is operated or parked in a location where it is otherwise permitted to be.
   3. The firearm is either of the following:
      1. In a motor vehicle attended by the employee, kept from ordinary observation within the person's motor vehicle.
      2. In a motor vehicle unattended by the employee, kept from ordinary observation and locked within a compartment, container, or in the interior of the person’s privately owned motor vehicle or in a compartment or container securely affixed to the motor vehicle.
3. If an employer believes that an employee presents a risk of harm to himself/herself or to others, the employer may inquire as to whether the employee possesses a firearm in his or her private motor vehicle. If the employee does possess a firearm in his or her private motor vehicle on the property of the employer, the employer may make any inquiry necessary to establish that the employee is in compliance with subsection (b).
   1. If the employee is not in compliance with subsection (b), the employer may take adverse employment action against the employee, in the discretion of the employer.
   2. If the employee has been in compliance with subsection (b) at all times, the employer may not take adverse employment action against the employee based solely on the presence of the firearm.
4. If an employer discovers by other means that an employee is transporting or storing a firearm in his or her private motor vehicle, the employer may not take any adverse employment action against the employee based solely on the possession of that firearm if the employee has complied with the requirements in subsection (b).
5. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an employer from reporting to law enforcement a complaint based upon information and belief that there is credible evidence of any of the following:
   1. That the employee's motor vehicle contains:
      1. A firearm prohibited by state or federal law.
      2. Stolen property or a prohibited or illegal item other than a firearm.
   2. A threat made by an employee to cause bodily harm to themselves or others.
6. If law enforcement officers, pursuant to a valid search warrant or valid warrantless search based upon probable cause, exigent circumstances, or other lawful exception to the search warrant requirement, discover a firearm prohibited by state or federal law, stolen property, or a prohibited or illegal item other than a firearm, the employer may take adverse employment action against the employee.
7. However, if the employee has fully complied with the requirements of subsection (b) and does not possess a firearm prohibited by state or federal law, that employee is entitled to recovery as specified in this subsection for any adverse employment action against the employee. If demand for the recovery has not been satisfied within 45 calendar days, the employee may file a civil action in the appropriate court of this state against the public or private employer. A plaintiff is entitled to seek an award of all of the following:
   1. Compensation, if applicable, for lost wages or benefits.
   2. Compensation, if applicable, for other lost remuneration caused by the termination, demotion, or other adverse action.
8. The license requirements set forth in sections (b)(1)a. and (b)(1)b.i. are for the purposes of this section only in order to determine whether an employee may transport or store a lawfully possessed firearm or ammunition in an employee’s privately owned motor vehicle while parked or operated in a public or private parking area owned by the employer and shall not be construed to otherwise expand the requirements for the lawful possession of a firearm. These requirements shall not be interpreted to mean that the laws of the State of Alabama create any new connection between the possession of a hunting license and the right of a citizen to keep and bear arms.
9. Prohibitions regarding the carrying of a firearm under this section shall not apply to law enforcement officers engaged in the lawful execution of their official duties.
10. Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the transportation, carrying, storing, or possession of a firearm or ammunition where prohibited by federal law.

(Act 2013-283, §4.)

1. Except as provided in subsection (g) of Section 13A-11-90, an employer and the owner and/or lawful possessor of the property on which the employer is situated shall be absolutely immune from any claim, cause of action or lawsuit that may be brought by any person seeking any form of damages that are alleged to arise, directly or indirectly, as a result of any firearm brought onto the property of the employer, owner, or lawful possessor by an employee, including a firearm that is transported in an employee's privately owned motor vehicle.
2. The presence of a firearm or ammunition on an employer’s property under the authority of Act 2013-283 does not, by itself, constitute the failure by the employer to provide a safe workplace.
3. For the purposes of Act 2013-283, a public or private employer, or the employer’s principal, officer, director, employee, or agent, does not have a duty:
   1. To patrol, inspect, or secure:
      1. Any parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area the employer provides for employees; or
      2. Any privately owned motor vehicle located in a parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area the employer provides for employees; or
   2. To investigate, confirm, or determine an employee’s compliance with laws related to the ownership or possession of a firearm or ammunition or the transportation and storage of a firearm or ammunition.
4. Nothing in this section shall be construed to provide immunity from liability to an employer, business entity, or property owner for his or her own affirmative wrongful acts that cause harm, damage, or injury to another.
5. The denial by a court of a Motion to Dismiss based on immunity grounds shall be appealable in the same manner as a final order to the appellate court which would otherwise have jurisdiction over the appeal from a final order of the action. Such appeal may only be filed within 42 days of the order denying the Motion to Dismiss. The filing of such appeal, the failure to file an appeal, or the affirmance of the denial of the Motion to Dismiss shall in no way affect the right of the Defendant, after entry of judgment, to appeal the denial of immunity. During the pendency of such appeal, the action in the trial court shall be stayed in all respects.
6. Nothing in Act 2013-283 is intended to expand or limit the rights an employer or employee currently has under Chapter 5 of Title 25.

(Act 2013-283, §5.)

1. The provisions of this section shall be operative only during the existence of a state of emergency, referred to hereinafter as one of the states of emergency defined in Section 31-9-3. The existence of a state of emergency may be proclaimed by the Governor as provided in this subsection or by joint resolution of the Legislature if the Governor in the proclamation or the Legislature in the resolution finds that an attack upon the United States has occurred or is anticipated in the immediate future, or that a natural disaster of major proportions or a public health emergency has occurred or is reasonably anticipated in the immediate future within this state and that the safety and welfare of the inhabitants of this state require an invocation of the provisions of this section. The emergency, whether proclaimed by the Governor or by the Legislature, shall terminate 60 days after the date on which it was proclaimed unless the Governor extends the emergency by proclamation or the Legislature extends the emergency by a joint resolution. Upon proclamation by the Governor of a state of emergency, the Governor may call the Legislature into special session. Additionally, the Lieutenant Governor or the Speaker of the House may request in writing that the Governor call the Legislature into special session. During the period that the proclaimed emergency exists or continues, the Governor shall have and may exercise the following additional emergency powers:
   1. To enforce all laws, rules, and regulations relating to emergency management and to assume direct operational control of all emergency management forces and helpers in the state.
   2. To sell, lend, lease, give, transfer, or deliver materials or perform services for emergency management purposes on such terms and conditions as the Governor shall prescribe and without regard to the limitations of any existing law, and to account to the State Treasurer for any funds received for such property.
   3. To procure, by purchase, condemnation, seizure, or other means, construct, lease, transport, store, maintain, renovate, or distribute materials and facilities for emergency management without regard to the limitations of any existing law; provided, that this authority shall not be exercised with regard to newspapers, wire facilities leased or owned by news services, and other news publications, and provided further, that he or she shall make compensation for the property so seized, taken, or condemned, on the following basis:
      1. In case property is taken for temporary use, the Governor, within 30 days of the taking, shall fix the amount of compensation to be paid therefor, and in case the property shall be returned to the owner in a damaged condition, or shall not be returned to the owner, the Governor shall fix within 30 days the amount of compensation to be paid for the damage or failure to return. Whenever the Governor shall deem it advisable for the state to take title to property taken under this section, he or she shall forthwith cause the owner of the property to be notified thereof in writing by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, or by the best available means, and forthwith cause to be filed a copy of the notice with the Secretary of State.
      2. If the person entitled to receive the amount so determined by the Governor as just compensation is unwilling to accept the same as full and complete compensation for such property or the use thereof, he or she shall be paid 75 percent of such amount and shall be entitled to recover from the State of Alabama, in an action brought in a court in the county of residence of the claimant or in Montgomery County, in the same manner as other condemnation claims are brought, within three years after the date of the Governor's award, such additional amount, if any, which when added to the amount so paid to him or her, shall be just compensation.
   4. To provide for and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from any stricken or threatened area or areas within the state and to take such steps as are necessary for the receipt and care of such evacuees.
   5. To perform and exercise such other functions, powers and duties as are necessary to promote and secure the safety and protection of the civilian population.
   6. To employ such measures and give such directions to the state or local boards of health as may be reasonably necessary for the purpose of securing compliance with the provisions of this article or with the findings or recommendations of such boards of health by reason of conditions arising from enemy attack or the threat of enemy attack or otherwise.
   7. To utilize the services and facilities of existing officers and agencies of the state and of the political subdivisions thereof. All such officers and agencies shall cooperate with and extend their services and facilities to the Governor as he or she may request.
   8. With due consideration to the recommendations of local authorities, the Governor may formulate and execute plans and regulations for the control of traffic in order to provide for the rapid and safe movement of evacuation over public highways and streets of people, troops, or vehicles and materials for national defense or for use in any defense industry, and may coordinate the activities of the departments or agencies of the state and of the political subdivisions thereof concerned directly or indirectly with public highways and streets, in a manner which will best effectuate such plans.
   9. To establish agencies and offices and to appoint temporary executive, technical, clerical, and other personnel as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article without regard to the Merit System Act.
2. The proclamation of a state of public health emergency shall activate the disaster response and recovery aspects of the state, local, and inter-jurisdictional disaster emergency plans in the affected political subdivisions or geographic areas. Such declaration authorizes the deployment and use of any forces to which the plans apply and the use or distribution of any supplies, equipment, and materials and facilities assembled, stockpiled, or available pursuant to this article.
3. When a state of public health emergency has been declared or terminated, the State Board of Health shall inform members of the public on how to protect themselves and what actions are being taken to control the emergency.
4. 1. Nothing in this section shall authorize the seizure or confiscation of any firearm or ammunition from any individual who is lawfully carrying or possessing the firearm or ammunition except as provided in subdivision (2).
   2. A law enforcement officer who is acting in the lawful discharge of the officer's official duties may disarm an individual if the officer reasonably believes that it is immediately necessary for the protection of the officer or another individual. The officer shall return the firearm to the individual before discharging that individual unless the officer arrests that individual for engaging in criminal activity or seizes the firearm as evidence pursuant to an investigation for the commission of a crime or, at the discretion of the officer, the individual poses a threat to himself or herself or to others.

(Acts 1955, No. 47, p. 267, §8; Act 2006-522, p. 1210, §1; Act 2009-572, p. 1679, §1.)

1. When the judge of probate of a county enters an order for the involuntary commitment of a person pursuant to Section 22-52-10.1, and the order is for a final commitment for inpatient treatment to the Department of Mental Health or a Veterans' Administration hospital, or as otherwise provided by law, the judge shall immediately forward the order to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the order shall be entered in its information systems. The order shall be forwarded to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency in the manner as the Criminal Justice Information Center Commission shall provide. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency shall as soon as possible thereafter enter the order in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and the information shall be entered into the NICS Index Denied Persons File. The records maintained pursuant to this section shall only be used for purposes of determining eligibility to purchase or transfer a firearm. Information furnished shall not include confidential medical or treatment records, confidential tax or financial data, library records, or other personal information.
2. Any person who has been adjudicated mentally deficient or committed to a mental institution and who is subject to the firearm disabilities of 18 U.S.C. Section 922 (d)(4) and (g)(4), and who is subject to the firearm disabilities of Sections 13A-11-72 and 13A-11-75, because he or she has been determined by law or legal process to be of unsound mind, may petition the district court for a civil review of the person's mental capacity to purchase a firearm. The petitioner may present evidence and witnesses at the hearing on the petition. The district court shall make written findings of fact and conclusions of law on the issues before it and issue a final order. The district court shall grant the relief requested in the petition if the judge finds, based on a preponderance of the evidence presented with respect to the petitioner's reputation, the petitioner's mental health record and, if applicable, certified criminal history record from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the circumstances surrounding the petitioner's firearm disability, and any other evidence in the record, that the petitioner will not be likely to act in a manner that is dangerous to public safety and that granting the relief would not be contrary to the public interest. If the final order grants relief, a copy of the order shall be forwarded to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency directing that the prior order be removed from its information systems. Thereafter, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency shall, as soon as possible, redact the prior order from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or shall request that the redaction be done and shall notify the United States Attorney General that the basis for the record being made available no longer applies. The petitioner may appeal a final order denying relief within 42 days of the order to the circuit court for the county in which the commitment or adjudication was entered. The circuit court's review shall be conducted de novo.
3. To the extent allowed by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center Commission, ACJIC may provide a judge of probate access to ACJIC information systems for the purpose of involuntary commitment hearings, petitions to change names, and other official functions of the judge of probate.

(Act 2004-641, p. 1468, §2; Act 2013-290, §§1, 2; Code 2015-341, § 1.)

1. The provisions of this section shall be operative only during the existence of a state of emergency, referred to hereinafter as one of the states of emergency defined in Section 31-9-3. The existence of a state of emergency may be proclaimed by the Governor as provided in this subsection or by joint resolution of the Legislature if the Governor in the proclamation or the Legislature in the resolution finds that an attack upon the United States has occurred or is anticipated in the immediate future, or that a natural disaster of major proportions or a public health emergency has occurred or is reasonably anticipated in the immediate future within this state and that the safety and welfare of the inhabitants of this state require an invocation of the provisions of this section. The emergency, whether proclaimed by the Governor or by the Legislature, shall terminate 60 days after the date on which it was proclaimed unless the Governor extends the emergency by proclamation or the Legislature extends the emergency by a joint resolution. Upon proclamation by the Governor of a state of emergency, the Governor may call the Legislature into special session. Additionally, the Lieutenant Governor or the Speaker of the House may request in writing that the Governor call the Legislature into special session. During the period that the proclaimed emergency exists or continues, the Governor shall have and may exercise the following additional emergency powers:
   1. To enforce all laws, rules, and regulations relating to emergency management and to assume direct operational control of all emergency management forces and helpers in the state.
   2. To sell, lend, lease, give, transfer, or deliver materials or perform services for emergency management purposes on such terms and conditions as the Governor shall prescribe and without regard to the limitations of any existing law, and to account to the State Treasurer for any funds received for such property.
   3. To procure, by purchase, condemnation, seizure, or other means, construct, lease, transport, store, maintain, renovate, or distribute materials and facilities for emergency management without regard to the limitations of any existing law; provided, that this authority shall not be exercised with regard to newspapers, wire facilities leased or owned by news services, and other news publications, and provided further, that he or she shall make compensation for the property so seized, taken, or condemned, on the following basis:
      1. In case property is taken for temporary use, the Governor, within 30 days of the taking, shall fix the amount of compensation to be paid therefor, and in case the property shall be returned to the owner in a damaged condition, or shall not be returned to the owner, the Governor shall fix within 30 days the amount of compensation to be paid for the damage or failure to return. Whenever the Governor shall deem it advisable for the state to take title to property taken under this section, he or she shall forthwith cause the owner of the property to be notified thereof in writing by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, or by the best available means, and forthwith cause to be filed a copy of the notice with the Secretary of State.
      2. If the person entitled to receive the amount so determined by the Governor as just compensation is unwilling to accept the same as full and complete compensation for such property or the use thereof, he or she shall be paid 75 percent of such amount and shall be entitled to recover from the State of Alabama, in an action brought in a court in the county of residence of the claimant or in Montgomery County, in the same manner as other condemnation claims are brought, within three years after the date of the Governor's award, such additional amount, if any, which when added to the amount so paid to him or her, shall be just compensation.
   4. To provide for and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from any stricken or threatened area or areas within the state and to take such steps as are necessary for the receipt and care of such evacuees.
   5. To perform and exercise such other functions, powers and duties as are necessary to promote and secure the safety and protection of the civilian population.
   6. To employ such measures and give such directions to the state or local boards of health as may be reasonably necessary for the purpose of securing compliance with the provisions of this article or with the findings or recommendations of such boards of health by reason of conditions arising from enemy attack or the threat of enemy attack or otherwise.
   7. To utilize the services and facilities of existing officers and agencies of the state and of the political subdivisions thereof. All such officers and agencies shall cooperate with and extend their services and facilities to the Governor as he or she may request.
   8. With due consideration to the recommendations of local authorities, the Governor may formulate and execute plans and regulations for the control of traffic in order to provide for the rapid and safe movement of evacuation over public highways and streets of people, troops, or vehicles and materials for national defense or for use in any defense industry, and may coordinate the activities of the departments or agencies of the state and of the political subdivisions thereof concerned directly or indirectly with public highways and streets, in a manner which will best effectuate such plans.
   9. To establish agencies and offices and to appoint temporary executive, technical, clerical, and other personnel as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article without regard to the Merit System Act.
2. The proclamation of a state of public health emergency shall activate the disaster response and recovery aspects of the state, local, and inter-jurisdictional disaster emergency plans in the affected political subdivisions or geographic areas. Such declaration authorizes the deployment and use of any forces to which the plans apply and the use or distribution of any supplies, equipment, and materials and facilities assembled, stockpiled, or available pursuant to this article.
3. When a state of public health emergency has been declared or terminated, the State Board of Health shall inform members of the public on how to protect themselves and what actions are being taken to control the emergency.
4. 1. Nothing in this section shall authorize the seizure or confiscation of any firearm or ammunition from any individual who is lawfully carrying or possessing the firearm or ammunition except as provided in subdivision (2).
   2. A law enforcement officer who is acting in the lawful discharge of the officer's official duties may disarm an individual if the officer reasonably believes that it is immediately necessary for the protection of the officer or another individual. The officer shall return the firearm to the individual before discharging that individual unless the officer arrests that individual for engaging in criminal activity or seizes the firearm as evidence pursuant to an investigation for the commission of a crime or, at the discretion of the officer, the individual poses a threat to himself or herself or to others.

(Acts 1955, No. 47, p. 267, §8; Act 2006-522, p. 1210, §1; Act 2009-572, p. 1679, §1.)

All transfers or purchases of firearms conducted by a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer shall be subject to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) created by the federal "Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act" (P.L. No. 103-159), the relevant portion of which is codified at 18 U.S.C. §922 (t). To the extent possible, all information from any state or local government agency that is necessary to complete an NICS check shall be provided to ALEA. The commission shall adopt rules and policies necessary to implement a complete NICS check. The commission shall also ensure that all information received shall be used solely for the purposes of compliance with NICS and every effort is made to protect the privacy of this information. Prior to the adoption of rules pursuant to this section, all proposed rules shall go through the privacy and security committee of the commission which shall seek consultation from the President of the Probate Judges' Association and the Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and consumer advocates as recommended by the commissioner.

(Act 2004-641, p. 1468, §1; Act 2019-495, §1.)

In addition to any other requirements, any agency, board, or commission in this state that issues a permit or license, by rule, may require a criminal background check through ALEA as part of its licensing or permitting requirements. Any agency, board, or commission adopting a rule requiring a background check shall be subject to rules and procedures of the commission for the use of the background check.

(Act 2019-495 § 2.)

Subject to the rules of the commission, ALEA may provide criminal history information to a judge of probate for the purpose of name changes, adoption hearings, determinations of eligibility of administrators or executors of estates, or any other lawful purpose.

(Act 2019-495 § 2.)

1. The Legislature approves and ratifies the National Child Protection Act of 1993, 42 USC §5119-5119(c), as amended, in order to facilitate the authorized interstate exchange of criminal history information for noncriminal justice purposes, including, but not limited to, background checks for the licensing and screening of employees and volunteers. The secretary shall execute the compact on behalf of the state. The secretary may delay the initial execution of the compact until funding is secured to establish the procedures and hire the necessary staff or contract for services to fulfill the requirements and responsibilities of this compact.
2. ALEA is the repository of criminal history records for purposes of the compact and shall do all things necessary or incidental to carry out the compact.
3. The secretary, or the secretary's designee, is the compact officer of the state and shall administer the compact within the state. The commission may adopt rules and establish procedures for the cooperative exchange of criminal history records between the state and federal governments for use in noncriminal justice cases.
4. The ratification by the state of the compact remains in effect until further action of the Legislature.
5. This compact and this section do not affect or abridge the obligations and responsibilities of ALEA under other provisions of this article and do not alter or amend the manner, direct or otherwise, in which the public is afforded access to criminal history records under state law.
6. All revenue received by ALEA through the exchange of information enabled through this compact shall be deposited into the State Treasury to the credit of the Public Safety Fund and shall be used to cover expenses for improving criminal history records and the state repository at ALEA.

(Act 2019-495 § 2.)

1. The sheriff shall keep and maintain a separate permanent record of all abandoned and stolen firearms, not subject to disposition by general law. The records shall state the description of the firearm, the date of recovery of the firearm, the serial or other identifying number, if any, of the firearm, and the place of recovery of the firearm. Firearm as used in this subpart shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 13A-8-1.
2. Unless otherwise provided by law, the sheriff may sell or destroy these firearms if the owner of the firearm does not claim the firearm within six months of the date the sheriff obtained it.
3. The sheriff may sell or trade in the firearms only to gun dealers who have held an active business license from Elmore County in this state for at least one year immediately prior to the date of sale. The sheriff shall establish a procedure to notify gun dealers of a the guns for sale or trade in. A firearm shall be sold to the gun dealer submitting the highest sealed bid. All sales shall be on a cash basis. The Any cash proceeds of the sale, after deducting and paying all expenses incurred in the recovery, maintenance, and sale of the firearms shall be paid to the office of the Sheriff of Elmore County.
4. The sheriff may establish a procedure to destroy firearms and may expend necessary sheriffs department funds for that purpose.

Act 2020-120 § 1