The reaction of Alabama’s U.S. Senate candidates to a potential deal on federal gun legislation Monday ranged from acceptance to outright hostility.
The proposed agreement between 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans came after a hurricane of gun violence that included mass shootings at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. It would incorporate expanded background checks for gun buyers under 21, along with funding for states to implement red flag laws and improve mental health services and school security.
Alabama has one of the nation’s highest rates of gun deaths, but the state’s dominant Republican Party has generally supported efforts to make gun access easier, often over the objections of law enforcement. Gov. Kay Ivey in March signed a bill that would Alabamians to carry concealed weapons without a permit in most cases. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1.
Republican leaders have tended to blame the violence on a lack of mental health services. State leaders have increased funding for mental health in recent years.
The outlined proposal would expand background checks for gun buyers younger than 21 to assess juvenile and mental health records. It would also add dating partners to a prohibition on firearms for domestic abusers. The deal would also offer grants to states to enact red flag laws, allowing law enforcement to temporarily take firearms from people who are a threat to themselves or others. It would also provide money for mental health services, as well as counseling and safety measures for public schools.
Senators will still need to craft legislation incorporating the proposals. But if the 10 Republicans in the group stay on board, it would be enough to overcome any filibuster.
“Families are scared, and it is our duty to come together and get something done that will help restore their sense of safety and security in their communities,” the group said in a statement.
The two candidates in the June 21 GOP Senate runoff have generally supported unlimited access to firearms for law-abiding individuals. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks’ campaign did not respond to questions on the proposed Senate deal on Monday. On Twitter on Sunday, Brooks’ campaign called the 10 Republicans supporting the agreement “Katie Britt donors ready to sell out law-abiding Americans.”
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In a statement Monday, Sean Ross, a spokesman for Britt, said Britt “opposes any new law that restricts the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.” He criticized the red flag portion of the bill and called for more funding for law enforcement and mental health services.
“ ‘Red flag’ laws can be abused to take away the right to self-defense with no due process,” the statement said. “The Senate should immediately introduce a bill to ensure states have the resources needed to have an armed police officer in each and every school across our nation, along with increased support for Americans to have access to quality, affordable mental health care, regardless of their zip code.”
The campaign did not comment directly on the other proposals.
Democratic nominee Will Boyd, who said in an interview Monday he was a supporter of the Second Amendment, said he saw the Senate proposal as a first step toward improved gun safety measures.
“I would be in favor of moving toward higher age requirement (for gun purchases),” he said. “I would definitely want assault weapons moved out of the way. But in the Senate, we have to start at a point of agreement and work our way out. If we said ‘hey, we want to ban assault weapons right now,’ there would be no discussions.”
Alabama has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23.6 of every 100,000 Alabamians died at the barrel of a firearm in 2020. It was the fifth-highest per capita rate in the nation, trailing only Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Missouri. The state recorded 1,141 deaths by guns in 2020, compared to 1,052 gun deaths in New York State, which has four times the population of Alabama.
Many of Alabama’s gun deaths were suicides. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, more than two-thirds of Alabama’s suicides in 2019 involved a firearm.
Ross said that Britt believes from conversations with judges, law enforcement and health care workers that the main contributors to violence in Alabama are “mental health issues and substance abuse,” and that Britt wanted to create “the proper safety net of resources … to decrease these common factors that can contribute to both violent crime and suicide.”
Boyd said he supported more mental health evaluations and training programs as a condition for obtaining certain firearms. But he said red flag laws “empower families and law enforcement to prevent gun tragedies from occurring.”
“I think again we need to start at the center and work our way out,” he said. “It would be foolish think we go to furthest extremes and work from there.”
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brian Lyman at 334-240-0185 or blyman@gannett.com.
