Petition to Repeal Alabama Code § 13A-11-59 (2023): Restore Our Right to Bear Arms at Public Demonstrations

Fellow Alabamians,

Alabama Code § 13A-11-59 (2023) strips law-abiding citizens of their fundamental right to carry firearms for self-defense the moment they step into a public demonstration, protest, rally, or gathering. This is the very place where that right is needed most, where tensions can flare, violence can erupt without warning, and law-abiding people are left defenseless while criminals ignore the law entirely. This is not public safety; it is a direct assault on our liberty, our Constitution, and our Alabama way of life.

The United States Supreme Court has made it clear in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022) that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms for self-defense, both inside and outside the home. When we exercise our First Amendment right to assemble and speak freely, the government has no authority to disarm us. Yet Alabama’s law does exactly that, creating a constitutional no-carry zone precisely where peaceful citizens are most vulnerable.

Our own Alabama Constitution is even stronger. Article I, Section 26 declares that every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state. That promise does not vanish the moment we gather to petition our government or stand up for what we believe. This law betrays Alabama’s proud tradition of individual freedom, a tradition we reaffirmed in 2023 when we became a permitless carry state. Why does that freedom suddenly end at the protest line?

This statute does not make anyone safer. Criminals and those intent on violence will carry regardless of the law, while peaceful hunters, workers, parents, and patriots are forced to choose between their right to self-defense and their right to free expression. Police officers remain armed at these same events, rightly so, but law-abiding citizens are singled out and disarmed. That is not equality under the law; it is state-sanctioned helplessness.

Worse still, this law chills free speech itself. When citizens fear for their safety and know they cannot lawfully protect themselves or their families, many will simply stay home. Voices are silenced not by argument, but by the threat of violence coupled with government-mandated disarmament.

We are Alabamians, hunters who teach our children responsibility in the woods, workers who defend our families, parents who safeguard our homes, and patriots who refuse to surrender the freedoms our ancestors fought for. We believe in liberty, personal responsibility, and the God-given right to defend ourselves and our loved ones wherever we stand.

That is why we demand immediate action: the Alabama Legislature must repeal AL Code § 13A-11-59 in its entirety during the next legislative session. Restore our full right to keep and bear arms without exception, especially when we gather peacefully to exercise every other right protected by our constitutions.

Add your name today and send a thunderous message to Montgomery. Alabama’s citizens will not be defenseless, and we will not be silenced. Share this petition with your friends, family, church, gun club, neighbors, or whoever else you believe it may concern. Together, we will collect 5,000 signatures and deliver them directly to the Alabama House, Senate, and Governor’s office.

Freedom isn’t free, and it doesn’t stop at the edge of a protest. It starts with us. Sign now and let’s take back our rights, one signature at a time.

For Liberty and Alabama,  
Hunter
Proud Citizen of the Heart of Dixie

Goal: 5,000 signatures