Legislator says he was fired because of Second Amendment stance
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MOBILE COUNTY, Alabama (WALA) — Alabama Rep. Shane Stringer is no longer a captain with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the office announced Friday.
According to the MCSO, Sheriff Sam Cochran made the decision Wednesday “because of different political views held by his administration.”
The MCSO statement did not specify those differing political views.
But Stringer later Friday morning issues a news release stating he is “proud to defend Second Amendment gun rights despite losing (his) job over Constitutional stance.”
Stringer’s new release states that Cochran fired him over the his stance on the issue.
“The Second Amendment gun rights of Alabamians are under attack from a liberal federal government that is out of control and even from some factions right here at home,” Stringer, who previously served as the chief of the Satsuma Police Department, said in a statement. “After dedicating my life and career to law enforcement, losing a job because I stand in support of Alabama gun owners is certainly surprising, but nothing will discourage me from defending the constitutional guarantees promised to all of us as American citizens.”
Sringer said Cochran notified him on Wednesday that he was being fired as a captain within the department because he is sponsoring “constitutional carry” gun rights legislation as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives.
Stringer’s House Bill 618 would allow Alabamians to carry or conceal a pistol without first obtaining a permit from their local sheriff’s office. Some local sheriffs have opposed legislation such as Stringer’s because they have come to depend upon fees from the permitting process as a revenue generator for their offices, and others have expressed safety concerns, Stringer’s news release states.
“The U.S. Constitution does not say you have a right to keep and bear arms as long as you pay what amounts to a gun tax in the form of permit fees,” Stringer said. “It says you have the right to keep and carry firearms, period.”
Stringer said that despite Cochran’s action, he remains committed to his legislation and to the Alabama law enforcement community.
“As a state legislator, I swore an oath to God that I would support the U.S. Constitution, and this legislation does just that,” String said. “And whether or not I am employed by the Mobile Sheriff’s Office, my heart and soul will always belong to the mission of enforcing the law and to my fellow officers who seek to protect the men, women, and children of Alabama.”
Stringer joined the MCSO in 2018.
That same year, Stringer, a member of the Republican party, was elected as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing District 102. His current term ends in November 2022.
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