A Democratic state senator is pushing legislation that would require Alabama businesses and property owners to allow employees to transport and store handguns or ammunition at work.
Sen. Roger Bedford, the sponsor of the bill, told The Montgomery Advertiser that SB24 is aimed at increasing personal safety.
“I think it’s necessary so people will have peace of mind when they’re traveling to and from work,” he said.
If passed, employees that have a pistol permit issued by the sheriff would be allowed to stow their firearm or ammunition in their motor vehicles while parked at work. The weapons must be locked and out of sight.
The bill would not apply to school campuses, nor any area that federal law currently bars weapons. Similar legislation has been introduced twice before in the Alabama legislature, but failed to garner enough support.
The Business Council of Alabama has come out against the bill on the basis that it “erodes the constitutional property rights of businesses.”
In 2004, Oklahoma became the first state to pass legislation allowing employees to bring handguns to their work sites. Since then, at least 14 other states have enacted similar legislation.