Editorial: About guns, and what needs to come next
More than a week has passed since Alabama’s new permit-less carry law went into effect at the new year. Despite the widespread there appears to have been no significant outward change.
That means the change hasn’t made an appreciable difference to an upward trend of gun violence across the state, on the rise since well before the permit requirement was rolled back.
Many law enforcement agencies stood in opposition to the law, saying that the permit requirement helped in the prevention and investigation of crime. However there’s validity to the argument that a person with bad intent has likely never been impeded by the lack of a permit, or even any circumstance that would disqualify him or her from possessing a weapon.
The passage of the permit-less carry law was a high-profile victory for gun rights advocates. However, it does nothing to address the ready availability of firearms to those who have no intent of abiding by the law.
It’s always alarming when a minor is charged with a firearm crime, if for no other reason than it is illegal for someone under the age of 18 to buy, borrow, or be gifted a firearm. That restricts legitimate retailers, but seems to be no deterrent to the underworld market.
Lawmakers should make a priority of stemming the tide of illegal weapons and addressing the crime that comes with it. There’s room in the law to crack down on criminal use of weapons without undue inconvenience to the law-abiding.