AL: Legislator fired from Mobile Sheriff’s Dept. for Support of Second Amendment

AmmoLand ^ | 17 May, 2021 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Image screenshot from Rep. Shane Stringer’s Facebook, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

On 14 May, 2021, Alabama Representative Shane Stringer was fired by Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran because Representative Stringer is a strong proponent of Constitutional Carry in Alabama. From policetribune.com:

But Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran and Capt. Stringer have clashed politically since he joined the department.

Mobile County Sheriff’s Department Spokeswoman Lori Myles said that Capt. Stringer’s political views ran afoul of Sheriff Cochran’s beliefs, AL.com reported.

Sheriff Cochran disagreed with Capt. Stringer’s sponsorship of constitutional-carry legislation, Myles said.

Representative Shane Stringer was a Captain in the Mobile County Sheriff’s office. He was Chief of Police in Satsuma, Alabama, before he was elected as a representative.

Here is an image of the statement released by Representative Stringer. Shane Stringer is a member of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, where HB 618 is being considered.

Image from public release by Shane Stringer on Facebook, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten

From Representative Shane Stringer’s press release (for those who have difficulty reading the image):

State Rep. Shane Stringer (R – Mobile) said on Friday that he is proud to stand in defense of the Second Amendment gun rights of Alabamians despite being fired by Mobile Sheriff Sam Cochran for his position on the issue,”

(snip)

“The U.S. Constitution does not say you have a right to keep and bear arms as long as you pay what amounts to a gun tax in the form of permit fees,” Stringer said. “It says you have the right to keep and carry firearms… period.”

Stringer said that despite Cochran’s action, he remains committed to his legislation and to the Alabama law enforcement

[marktwain]

A Sheriff fires a Sheriff's Captain who is a citizen-legislator, because he disagrees with the legislator's politics.

[OKSooner]

Sounds like a career choice on the part of the Sheriff of Mobile Alabama, to me.

[Arm_Bears]

Sheriff needs to be run-off.

[Alas Babylon!]

The demographics of Mobile county say:

The racial makeup of the county was 63.07% White, 33.38% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 1.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Yes, the Sheriff may have political opposition down the road.

[Knocker]

Call an ambulance, the Sheriff just shot himself.

[Fido969]

Don’t these people take an oath to defend the constitution?

[Fred Hayek]

I don’t think that bullet wound in the foot will heal by the time the sheriff is up for re-election

[logi_cal869]

Correction:

A Sheriff fires a Sheriff's Captain who is a citizen-legislator, because he disagrees with the legislator's constituents' politics.

Glaring red flag

[from occupied ga]

That depends on the fraction of anti-gun idiots, bedwetters, soccer moms, and other Democrats in the electorate. Generally speaking elected officials are indicative of the opinions of the majorities in their districts.

[OldSmaj]

A Sheriff fires a Sheriff's Captain who is a citizen-legislator, because he disagrees with the legislator's politics.

Actually, in Alabama, it's not a political thing, more a financial thing.

The Pistol Permit program is administered by each County Sheriff.

Follow the money, especially since the Sheriff is not held to a very high standard of accountability for that money.

Constitutional carry would take quite a bite out the individual Sheriff's pocket book.

[Charles Martel]

A large number of existing CHL holders will probably maintain said licenses even after Constitutional Carry is an option, due to the expedited firearms purchasing that comes as a side benefit. That may taper off in the future, but the financial hit to the Sheriff’s office would not be immediate - and certainly less damaging than this tone-deaf maneuver.

[marktwain]

In the case of Mobile County, Alabama, the Sheriff collects approximately of 2.7 million dollars each and every year in pistol permit fees.

[suthener]

Stringer is my state rep. I got a less than satisfactory response from him when I complained about the governor’s mask mandates. This definitely improves my impression of him. Sheriff Cochran is untrustworthy on second amendment issues. I will say, though, that getting a permit in Mobile County is as simple as it can be. There is an office with what appears to be about 4 employees that I don’t think do anything else. Like the story says, I don’t think this is an ideology issue, it’s a money issue. The Sheriff’s Department makes a lot of money off permits.

[suthener]

“A large number of existing CHL holders will probably maintain said licenses even after Constitutional Carry is an option, due to the expedited firearms purchasing that comes as a side benefit.”

Unless it’s changed, Alabama permits are not acceptable for waiver of NCIS checks. Some gun stores still required an NCIS check before this came into effect. I can speak from experience.

https://www.guns.com/news/2019/07/25/alabama-gun-permits-no-longer-alternative-for-background-check

[suthener]

“Sounds like a career choice on the part of the Sheriff of Mobile Alabama, to me.”

Unfortunately Cochran is a fixture in Mobile. He was a very well liked police chief for Mobile Police Dept. before becoming sheriff. He will be there as long as he wants to be.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Since when did Sheriffs become “woke?”

PING!

[blam]

I have a concealed carry gun permit signed by Sam Cochran.

[marktwain]

I have a concealed carry gun permit signed by Sam Cochran.

You are joined with about 140,000 other residents of Mobile County.

[sport]

Not surprising nor surprised.

[S.O.S121.500]

Seems Mobile Sheriff Sam Cochran needs a taste of the cane for breaking the law, 48 consecutive hours in the stocks in case someone wants a few quiet words in the night (or worse) with the good sheriff, and a ride out of the county on a tar-slippery rail after a generous application of feathers. Or maybe just a rope on the lamp post short enough to prompt the hempen hop or jute jig.