Posted on 07/23/2015 10:41:46 AM PDT by BulletBobCo
Some disturbingly anti-gun news has recently come out of a typically pro-gun conservative southern state.
The Alabama Department of Transportation announced that they are banning the possession and carrying of firearms at rest stops along the state’s interstates and highways.
Ignoring the fact that both concealed and open carry are legal in the state, all rest stops will now have a sign reading “no weapons beyond this point.”
Although many are questioning whether ALDOT has the legal authority to do this, the department cited Alabama Code Section 25-1-59(c) as giving them the power to “prescribe any reasonable rules and regulations … prevent unnecessary trespassing upon or injury to any of the public roads, bridges, or highways of the state … ” upon which state money is spent.
In claiming this power, ALDOT has written its own administrative rule 450-3-1-.08(3), which read in part, “No person other than a duly authorized law enforcement officer shall enter any Alabama Department of Transportation building with a firearm … ”
However, according to Yellowhammer News, this new rule is in direct contradiction to the state statute regarding the regulation of firearms, Alabama Code Section 13A-11-61.3, which gives the Legislature complete control over all rules and regulations pertaining to firearms and ensures such rules and regulations are applied uniformly throughout the state.
The only possible way that the ALDOT could legitimately interpret the law to allow themselves to implement gun-free zones at rest areas is if they view all gun owners as trespassers or threats to cause “injury to public roads,” both of which are laughable.
State Rep. Barry Moore said, “I think that’s certainly an overstep. The Second Amendment is pretty clear: (government) SHALL not infringe. It seems like more and more, government tends to infringe on our right to bear arms. If anything I think we need to be getting rid of gun-free zones, not creating more of them.”
State Sen. Bill Holtzclaw agreed, speaking out against gun-free zones in general in the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Holtzclaw said, “I believe that, nationwide, we’ve created these gun-free zones and cowards that want to be a martyr for their cause are attracted to them because they know that they’re going to be more successful in whatever form of terrorism or activism that they are trying to accomplish.”
He continued, “So when we label a gun-free zone, we actually create a killing field for those people who obviously aren’t going to follow a law like that.”
The Alabama Legislature must rein in its Department of Transportation, which has taken it upon themselves to promulgate their own rules regarding firearms, something outside their purview.
I like Alabama and travel through there frequently. Alabamians do have a degree of common sense and I believe this will be corrected shortly. I will continue to travel and I wouldn’t consider stopping at any rest area unarmed.
Oh, just DAMN!
Sounds like they are trying to overthrow the Constitution to me.
Therefore, in Obama's America, they promptly do it.
Alabama has a Republican governor, and Repub-dominated legislature. There is no excuse as to why the bureaucrat responsible should not be fired by end-of-day.
Here in California, many miles north of the Mexican border you’ll find a border patrol checkpoint, complete with several lanes. All this is on federal property. You are diverted off HWY 86, north of Brawley. I have a ccw and travel thru here often. You are forced into federal property with or without a firearm.
ARE ALABAMA REST STOPS OPERATED BY THE STATE OR BY A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR?
A number of Texas rest stops are run by a contractor based in Tennessee.
Hunstville is awesome. All the more so because I have a granddaughter there.
My understanding is that there are Federal interstate firearms transportation laws that supercede this. At least for people travelling through the state ..
“...prevent unnecessary trespassing upon or injury to any of the public roads, bridges, or highways...”
Really? They’re afraid someone’s gonna shoot their road?
Same thing with me at gunshows.
I get that the signs are up for insurance purposes.
That’s the same reason my CCW is on my hip.
OK, OK, bear in mind this is about the BUILDINGS at the rest stop - like the bathrooms.
You won’t have to deal with this just for pulling in.
I see the sign on the door and make sure I am not printing.
RE “....I can’t think of ANYTHING in Alabama that I would EVER want to see...”
I can....
How about other Americans who think, feel, and believe like I do, and who love their Country like I do, who just have a little different accent than mine, and who are being exposed to the same liberal crap that you and I are, and who are just as fed up about it as we are.
One team, one fight. They’re our Patriot brothers and sisters there.
There were some high profile robbery/shootings of foreign tourists (made some changes to make rental cars less identifiable too, as this contributed to the targeting) and if I recall correctly Jeb responded by stationing State Troopers at the rest areas until they worked out the present system of contracted security guards.
I would love to see Alabama just to see Alabama.
I have seen Mississippi, and long to see it again, and I even drove past Kosciusko.
But I don’t recall ever hearing of a Kosciusko in ALABAMA (though I believe there are a few others around).
In fact, on one of my two trips to Mississippi we stopped in Memphis at Sleep-Out Louie’s for food and beer, and the beautiful, saucy, Southern Belle of a waitress told us the Kosciusko joke (I think she was from there).
OT: Screen name is from the Polish-born military engineer who fought for the Americans during the Revolutionary War, and a now-defunct Polish Falcons club, not the town. And the Polish pronunciation is approximately Ko-SHUSH-ko.
What's next, checkpoints at the exit?
No, the Governor needs to step up and fire his butt for regulatory overreach.
I’m going on a trip shortly with the family. We will be coming back home through Alabama. Suffice it to say, I will gas up and have everyone visit the pisseteria before entering, and not spend a single dime in the state - not until some government official publicly bats down this absurd and illegal ruling. I don’t need to spend $10,000 to hire a criminal defense lawyer to get me out of the graybar hotel, nor to ruin my vacation and place my CHL and professional license in jeopardy.
Oh, and the sniveling little $hit who put this in place needs to be fired, sans pension benefits.
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