AL.com: Montgomery requires photo IDs for carrying concealed guns on person or in vehicles

Mike Cason, AL.com

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed on Friday signed an ordinance that will require people carrying a concealed gun or carrying one in concealed in a vehicle to have a drivers license or another valid photo identification.

The Montgomery City Council passed the ordinance earlier this week.

A spokesperson for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a statement that the ordinance violates state law.

“The Code of Alabama plainly states that the Legislature is the sole regulator of firearms and related matters,” the statement said.

Reed said the new law is part of an overall effort to reduce crime.

“It shows not only that this administration is committed but our City Council is committed to doing everything in our power to try to make sure that our city is safer and doing the things that we can to get guns off the street and empower our police officers more and make our city safer for everyone that lives, works and plays within these limits,” the mayor said.

Reed was joined by several members of the City Council and Montgomery Interim Police Chief Jim Graboys.

The ordinance, only four sentences long, says that if a person carrying a concealed firearm does not have a photo ID, police will confiscate the weapon. They will hold it for up to 30 days. The owner can reclaim it by showing a valid photo ID, providing proof of ownership, and paying a $150 fine.

“This gives law enforcement a tool to ensure proper identification is held in situations where an individual may be stopped, and weapons are recognized,” Reed said.

Alabama required a permit to carry a handgun concealed or in a vehicle until the Legislature repealed that law in 2022. The permitless carry law took effect in January 2023.

Reed said the new ordinance is an example of how the city can respond independently to citizens’ concerns about crime and safety while he said they will also seek cooperation with the Legislature.

“We want to continue to work with our state partners but the city is where we find that most of the complaints come to,” Reed said. “And we’ve got to do the things that we can and challenge our state partners to do things they can, again, to help make our entire state safer whether you be in a rural area or an urban area in our city.”

Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch wants the Legislature to change the state’s law to require people under 21 to purchase a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Burch said young offenders have increasingly been those involved in gun and gang-related violence in the past year, and that requiring them to carry a permit would give law enforcement a tool to seize the firearms before they are used violently.

Read the original article here.