Wow is it that bad in Birmingham? I graduated from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) in 1980. We used to go up to Birmingham to party all the time. Although we all had CCW's at the time, we never went armed up there (because we were drinking--not even the guy driving) and I don't remember the crime being all that terrible.
Think of it like this..."Travis McGee" would say (and I agree) the increasing militarization of Law Enforcement in this country is just getting worse and worse...
They know the legitimate needs of true patriots in this country, that we recognize that unequal threat...