AL: Free Carry Permits for Retired Military Veterans

Gun Watch – by Dean Weingarten

In Alabama, Governor Robert Bentley signed HB98, which provides for retired veterans who qualify, to obtain free pistol permits.  The bill was popular with the legislature, passing nearly unanimously. HB98 passed the House 93 to 4 with 3 abstentions. It passed the Senate 30 to 2 with no abstentions on 3 May, 2016, and was signed into law by Governor Bently on 13 May, 2016.

The bill applies to retired military veterans who are non-disability retirees from the Army, Navy, Coast Guard or Marines, or any reserve component thereof. From the HB98(pdf):  

24  (b) Any retired military veteran who meets the
25  conditions for issuance of a pistol permit pursuant to Section      1    13A-11-75, Code of Alabama 1975, shall be eligible to obtain
2   the pistol permit without paying a fee for the permit. Upon
3   approval of the pistol permit application, the pistol permit
4   shall be issued by the sheriff of the county in which the
5   veteran resides upon presentation by the retired military
6   veteran of the United States government issued Veteran
7   Identification Card or a DD-214 Proof of Military Service form
8   and sufficient proof that the person is a military retiree.
9   The retired military veteran shall apply for renewal as
10 required by law, but shall be eligible to obtain renewed
11 pistol permits without paying a fee as long as he or she meets
12 the conditions for renewal of the permit.

A number of states make special provisions for verterans, allowing their military service to be sufficient proof of training to obtain a carry permit.  Alabama does not issue permits to non-residents, so the free permits are only available to military retirees who maintain a residence in Alabama.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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