Alabama concealed carry laws are liberal and allow concealed carry permits to be issued at the county level. Applications can be made at the local Sheriff’s office in your county of residence. Applicants must be at least 19 years or older and meet other criteria although there is no requirement for a firearms training course. The application process in Alabama is fairly easy and the sheriff must either grant or deny your application for a permit within 30 days of your submission. Fees for new CCW permits and renewals vary across counties. Some counties will notify holders of permits that they are due for renewal, however there are also counties that will not contact you at all.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Note
Under Alabama law a person with any of the following convictions are banned from possessing a weapon;
Murder, manslaughter, rape, mayhem, assault with intent to commit robbery or murder, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, any class A or B felony.
APPLICATIONS
Follow these steps to obtain a permit;
RENEWALS
Renewal fee’s vary between counties.
PERMIT FEE’S
You can select how long the permit is valid for, 1-5 years. Fees are set by the local Sheriff and are around $20 per year. They do vary between counties but are similar to the fees here for Shelby County;
| Years Permit required | Original | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20 | $20 |
| 2 | $40 | $40 |
| 3 | $60 | $60 |
| 4 | $80 | $80 |
| 5 | $100 | $100 |
Alabama honors all out of state concealed carry permits pursuant to section 13A-11-85 of the Alabama Code. Any person who has a concealed carry permit in another U.S. state can legally carry their firearm in Alabama. They will be subject to Alabama gun laws while in that state.
Alabama state flag
Private Gun Sales
There are no background checks required for private sales of a handgun or long gun in Alabama. However, it is illegal to sell any firearm to a person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm. This raises the question of how do you know the person is not a prohibited person without access to the various government databases. You really only have the purchasers word to go on. To protect yourself you could draft up a document and ask the purchaser to sign it verifying they are not a prohibited person.
Dealer Sales
A federally licensed dealer can only sell handguns to a person that is at least 21 years old. This conflicts with Alabama law that says you can possess a handgun when 19 years old. So if you are 19 – 20 years old you will need to get a person aged at least 21 to purchase your handgun or buy one privately.
There is full state preemption of all gun laws in Alabama. Local authorities are only allowed to pass ordnance’s that regulate the discharge of firearms and also to levy taxes. The preemption statute states that is enacted to ensure the laws relating to firearms are applied uniformly throughout the state.
“That every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state.”
(Article I §26)
For information on other states handgun laws please go back to the state laws page and select the state you are interested in.
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