THE INCREASE IN GUN VIOLENCE IN ALABAM RESTS SOLELY ON THE ALABAMA LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR, NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT
Gun crime and overall gun violence in Alabama have remained persistently high or increased in several cities since the state enacted its permitless, or “constitutional,” carry law in 2023. While some localized statistics vary, state agencies and advocacy groups consistently report Alabama as having one of the highest per-capita gun death rates in the country.
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·Black Belt News Network
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Crime and Violence Trends
High Gun Death Rates: Alabama has consistently ranked among the top four states nationally for gun-related deaths. The state’s overall rate of gun deaths increased by 21% over the decade prior to the latest reports.
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City-Level Increases: Several major Alabama cities, such as Birmingham and Mobile, have reported record-breaking numbers of homicides, a large majority of which were shootings, in the years following the enactment of the law.
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Local Law Enforcement Perspectives: Many county sheriffs and local police chiefs, including in areas like Montgomery, Mobile, and Dallas County, have expressed concern that the law has made it significantly harder to identify individuals who are legally prohibited from carrying firearms (such as convicted felons) during routine traffic stops.
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·Black Belt News Network
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Recent Legislative Actions
While the permitless carry law remains in place, Alabama lawmakers have sought to address the rise in gun-related crimes by enacting new public safety measures. In 2025, the state passed legislation aimed at:
Everytown
Closing the “dating partner loophole” to keep guns away from domestic abusers.
Banning “auto sears” (Glock switches used to convert handguns to fully automatic weapons).
Expanding firearm prohibitions for individuals convicted of felonies.
Everytown Research & Policy
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State Law Resources
To review the exact text of the latest state laws and legislative efforts, visit the Alabama Legislature website.
For a detailed breakdown of current rankings and statistics, consult the Giffords Law Center or Everytown for Gun Safety state policy profiles.
If you’d like to dive deeper, let me know:
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Would you like to compare Alabama’s firearm homicide rates to other states?
Gun Laws in Alabama – Everytown Research & Policy
Jan 14, 2026 — Alabama has a weak set of gun safety protections. It has one of the highest rates of gun deaths and gun homicides in the country. In 2022, state elected officia…
Everytown Research & Policy
Everytown for Gun Safety Releases 2026 State Gun Law Rankings …
Jan 15, 2026 — MONTGOMERY, AL — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund launched the updated “Gun Law Rankings” for 2026, an online tool and website that ranks all 50 sta…
Everytown
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Montgomery Police chief calls for ID law to close gun loophole
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Alabama Gun Laws: A Complete Guide – Giffords.org
The state lacks many basic gun safety laws and has not enacted meaningful gun safety legislation recently. In 2024, Alabama had the fourth highest gun death rat…
Giffords
‘The state has failed the citizens of Alabama’: Recent shootings in …
Jun 15, 2025 — “A criminal who has their mind made up, you know, to commit a criminal act is not to be stopped by whether they have a permit or not,” he said. State Representa…
WKRG
Where does Alabama rank in 2024 gun death rates? Here’s what we know
Feb 27, 2026 — The CDC data includes gun homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings. The data shows that: * Firearm homicides declined sharply, dropping 14 percent from …
Montgomery Advertiser
Crime up in two years since constitutional carry law started in Alabama
Jan 14, 2025 — Dallas County Sheriff: Crime up in two years since constitutional carry law started in Alabama – YouTube. This content isn’t available. Alabama became a constit…
YouTube·Black Belt News Network
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‘The state has failed the citizens of Alabama’: Recent shootings in …
YouTube·WKRG
Recent shootings in Mobile spark discussion about no permit carry law
Jun 15, 2025 — State Representative, Shane Stringer of District 102, sponsored the law in 2022. Stringer said in a statement that the law is not to blame for the crime in Mobi…
WKRG
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