Alabama Sheriff Accuses Republicans Of 'Defunding' Police With Passage Of Permitless Carry Law

An Alabama Sheriff is outraged after Republican politicians in the state passed a new gun law that would remove a requirement for a permit in order to possess a concealed firearm.

The law has, of course, been cheered by gun rights activists, and given the overwhelmingly conservative and pro-Second Amendment bent of the law enforcement profession, you'd think they'd be cheering it too, right?

But many have instead decried it, saying it removes the primary mechanism by which they screen for people who should not be allowed to own a gun.

But in Alabama, an entirely different issue is causing alarm among law enforcement: the permitting process has traditionally been a major source of funding for law enforcement, leading Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham to accuse Republicans of...

{checks notes}:

"defunding the police."

The permit process accounts for a staggering amount of police funding in Alabama--as much as 50% for some sheriff's departments.

Sheriffs in the counties of Montgomery and Baldwin have already reported six-figure funding losses because of the bill, which doesn't even go into effect until January.

And over the next year, officials say those six-figure losses will grow to eight, ranging from $13 million to $15 million based on the loss of an estimated 650,000-750,000 gun permit applications.

Republican proponents of the measure have pointed out that the losses will be offset by funding included in the bill for precisely that purpose, and because permits will still be required for gun owners wishing to cross state lines to states that require them.

But Cunningham wasn't convinced. Speaking to The Birmingham News, he decried the move as an attack on policing, taking Republicans to task for precisely what Republicans are always baselessly accusing Democrats of doing.

“This is just another way of defunding law enforcement at a time when violent crime is on a rise."

"I don’t think we will ever see funding from this come back and we need to look at other areas to get revenue to make sure we keep our officers trained and keep the latest equipment in our offices to help protect our communities.”

Naturally, people on Twitter found all this right-wing infighting ridiculous and a bit hilarious.

Alabama is just one of 25 states that will allow concealed carry without a permit as of January 1 after a long push by the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups.