The high price of Alabama’s low taxes
The choice between gun access and law enforcement: Alabama’s attitude toward guns reveals the lawmakers’ priorities. Last year, when faced with a choice between gun access and funding law enforcement, Republican lawmakers chose gun access. Concealed carry permits: This was a bill that made concealed carry permits optional. There was no mass demand for this. But the National Rifle Association threw a ball, and Republican lawmakers chased it. Sheriffs’ income loss: Pistol permits were a major source of revenue for Alabama sheriffs. Losing that created a funding problem, as the Alabama Sheriffs’ Association repeatedly pointed out before the bill passed. New fees and donations: Lawmakers tried to address the shortfall with a grant program, but it didn’t restore all the lost income. They also quietly passed other bills that…