HB308 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Shane StringerRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Concealed carry permits, to create a statewide information database on pistol permits known as the AROWS system, managed by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, further provide for appearance and contents of permits, Sec. 13A-11-75 am'd.

Summary

HB308 would create a statewide pistol permit database (AROWS) managed by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and standardize permit appearance and contents.

What This Bill Does

If passed, the bill creates AROWS, a central repository for all county-issued concealed pistol permits, updated daily with detailed permit holder information. It also standardizes what permit records look like and what data they must include, and updates the law on how permits are issued, denied, revoked, and appealed. It allows law enforcement and certain officials to access the data for lawful criminal-justice purposes while imposing confidentiality and penalties for improper release.

Who It Affects

• People who apply for or currently hold concealed pistol permits; their personal data would be stored in AROWS, with some information kept confidential and other data publicly releasable under specific rules.
• Law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, probation officers, and county sheriffs who would access and use AROWS data for lawful purposes; sheriffs would also handle funding, updates, and compliance.

Key Provisions

• Creates the Alabama Responding Officer Warning System (AROWS), a statewide permit repository operated by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office on behalf of all sheriffs.
• Requires daily electronic updates from each county sheriff to include specified permit holder data (names, address, driver’s license number, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, hair color, eye color, photograph, permit number, issuing agency, AROWS record number, ORI, issuance and expiration dates, and current status with revocation date if applicable), plus involuntary mental health records when provided by courts.
• Allows incorporation of county jail records related to permit holders and mandates transmission of new permit information to AROWS within 24 hours of issuance; updates must be transmitted within 24 hours of any material change.
• Gives access to AROWS to federal, state, county, and municipal law enforcement, prosecutors, and probation officers for lawful criminal justice purposes; restricts publication to the public and punishes improper disclosures as a Class A misdemeanor.
• Defines funding and fees: each sheriff may add up to 50 cents per year of permit validity to cover repository costs, with funds sent to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and used for operations and upgrades; remaining funds may stay with the sheriff’s office; annual cost projections and pro-rata shares are established by July 1 each year and invoiced/paid quarterly.
• Amends 13A-11-75 to set statewide permit validity, establish detailed permit appearance and content, outline criteria for denial and revocation (including mental health and legal findings), require written explanations to applicants, and allow appeals to district court with clear-and-convincing-evidence standard.
• Requires background checks and Immigration Alien Query for non-U.S. citizens before issuing permits; grants confidentiality protections for most permit data while maintaining public access to aggregate or non-identifying information.
• Effective date: the act takes effect on the first day of the third month after passage.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Firearms