Alabama's attorney general has issued an advisory opinion saying a county commission does not have the authority to prohibit firearms at polling places.
The Chambers County Commission sought the advice of Attorney General Luther Strange after some people showed up to vote in the June 3 primary election in Chambers and Shelby counties carrying guns.
The attorney general's seven-page opinion says state law doesn't give county commissions the authority to ban weapons. But it says state and federal laws that ban weapons in some public buildings, such as courthouses and schools, still apply when they are used at polling places. It also says churches and other private buildings used as polling places may ban guns.
The opinion applies to the runoff election July 15.