Mobile County Sheriff’s Office preparing for permitless carry to go in effect

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - UPDATE:

Sheriff Elect Paul Burch released a statement clarifying his position on the new pistol permit database.

FOX 10 News received an update from ALEA Wednesday concerning the Firearms Prohibited Person (FPP) Database.

The following statement is below.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The state of Alabama is just a few days away from a new law taking effect that will allow permitless carry.

Starting January 1st, it will no longer be required in the state of Alabama to have a permit for a concealed handgun.

A decision that has raised concerns from some law enforcement officials.

Mobile County Sheriff-Elect Paul Burch has raised some concerns about the law.

He fears more people will start carrying guns.

House bill 272 was signed into law in March.

It eliminates the requirement for a person to have a permit to carry a concealed firearm.

Burch says his deputies have already gone through training, to handle the security threat this could present.

“Bear in mind that there may be more people that are armed that typically aren’t, or typically has not been. And that presents a safety issue,” Burch said. “There just will be a lot more people out there carrying guns.”

There’s also a financial aspect to this.

Burch says the sheriff’s office has already lost more than $700,000 in revenue from permit fees...money that is desperately needed.

“There’s a fallacy that it’s a slush fund and it’s not. The fees are used for training, purchasing of equipment, vehicles, and some contracts,” Burch explained.

To help combat the loss of the permits Burch says other resources are supposed to be coming in including a database that will list people forbidden from carrying.

But Burch says that’s yet to happen.

The law establishes a fund with an initial balance of $5 million to offset lost sheriff’s department revenue across the state.

An amount some sheriffs say is not enough.

Burch says the sheriff’s office is still offering permits in the event you travel, and need a permit in another state.

He says this can all be done online.

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