Mayor of Alabama’s capital becomes latest to try to limit GOP ‘permitless carry’ law

Associated Press/Report For America

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The mayor of Alabama’s state capital has signed a local ordinance into law requiring anyone carrying a concealed firearm to also carry a photo ID. The new Montgomery ordinance drew immediate outrage from state GOP officials who had supported a 2023 law granting gun owners the right to carry a concealed gun without a permit. But Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said Friday that Republican lawmakers’ decision to toss permit requirements had hindered police officers’ abilities to fight crime and seize illegal guns. The Montgomery measure is the latest signed by a local official in the South in frustration over the expansion of what gun rights advocates call “constitutional carry.”