The 2nd Amendment protects the rights of citizens to bear arms. One Alabama organization is trying to make sure they get the full extent of those rights.
Alabama Open Carry (ALOC) is a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting and fighting for the rights of those who choose to wear their firearms in public.
"A lot of people, as soon as they see a firearm in the open they either, one, assume your a law enforcement officer, or that it's illegal, that you can't do that," says Jason Jones, president of ALOC. He points to legal precedence in support of the right for citizens to open carry. "Since the 1800's there have been multiple cases to prove that alabama open carry, or, carrying a firearm openly on your hip is totally legal in Alabama."
Many people do not know the laws regarding open carry. ALOC fights for it's members that continue to run into legal problems over their choice. "We can give them information about how to handle it. We can give them information from others who have gone through the same situations," says Tony Shifflet, a member of ALOC.
In the wake of the Tuscon shooting, many second amendment activists around the country are saying that if citizens were allowed to open carry, incidences like this could be prevented. "The average citizen cannot depend on law enforcement for self protection. Law enforcement is here to protect society as a whole, not to protect the individual citizen, you have to do that on your own," says Shifflet
ALOC is pushing for new state legislation to try and make open carry an easier and less hassling experience. They have drafted a set of amendments called "The Self Defense Protection Act of 2011." "It's a set of laws to further strengthen our second amendment laws in the state of Alabama. We have a petition going right now that we actually have over 1,200 signatures supporting this legislation," says Jones.
The organization is trying to get the bill on the agenda for the current legislative session.
