Governor Kay Ivey tries to make up for lost revenue from concealed weapons permit law

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is funneling money into Alabama sheriffs' offices. The new funding will help make up for lost pistol permit fees. The Sheriffs’ Grant covers all of Alabama’s sixty seven counties. Ivey says each office will receive funds quarterly. The roll out begins in the first quarter of 2023. The amount of money each county receives is based on money the sheriff’s departments each collected on pistol permit fees in 2022. Pistol permits have historically made up a significant portion of sheriff’s office funding in Alabama. But a new state law that went into effect in January allows for anyone 18 or older, who is not prohibited by state or federal law, to carry a concealed pistol without a permit. The Alabama Sheriffs Association says the program will help replenish funding lost by the permitless carry bill. Even though Alabama’s new law allowing people to carry concealed handguns without a permit did not take effect until January 1, a decline in permit sales started last year, reducing the money county sheriffs receive to fund their operations. AL.com reported last month how counties started losing money shortly after the measure went into effect. The Alabama Legislature reportedly set up a grant program to compensate counties for the expected loss of money. But sheriffs and county officials have doubts about whether the grants will be adequate or sustained. To receive a grant, sheriffs must show a loss in revenue from permit fees, and the law sets 2022 as the baseline year. County officials say using last year as the baseline will understate the losses. Another concern, at that time, was that the grant program was scheduled to go away in four years, according to the bill lawmakers approved.