BY: Tracey Smith, featured in The Times Daily.
I remember it all so clearly. It was a Tuesday morning and I laced up my shoes and started running. An avid runner, this was my morning routine- 6 miles on a winding sidewalk that cut through town and residential areas along the way. It was just me and the Alabama wildlife waking on another humid day.
But this day was different. About a mile into my run, a man with out of state plates pulled in front of me on the sidewalk; forcing me to stop in my tracks. He got out of his car and walked towards me. The hairs on my neck were standing straight up. The man said he needed help and asked for my assistance. I pointed to the nearby police station and resumed my run with my heart pounding. He sped away in his car in the opposite direction of the police station.
It was clear to me, watching him speed away, that he didn’t need help – he wanted to inflict harm. I turned around and sprinted home.
This was a watershed moment for me. I was naïve to my vulnerability. Unaware of how easily someone could intrude on my personal space, taking advantage of me in a moment’s notice. Now, I carry a firearm with me on every run and have the necessary training needed to protect myself. When I lace up my shoes and put on my holster, I am confident that I’ll return home safe and sound.
Sadly, my story is not unique. According to Runner’s World magazine, 60% of women surveyed have been harassed while running. Women are constantly thrust into compromising situations. Science is clear, most men are bigger and stronger. We need a way to level the playing field. That’s why I’m an unapologetic advocate for the right to exercise your Second Amendment Rights. That is why I find Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed’s continued attacks on permitless carry to be ignorant, brash, and foolish.[1]
Despite what the Mayor says to deflect from his own record of failed leadership, allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves from harm doesn’t foster crime and violence. But you don’t have to trust a runner with a personal, emotional plea. There’s plenty of data to back it up.
A new study released in May 2024 by independent researchers, Colorado State University professor Youngsung Kim and K. Alexander Adams from the University of Wyoming, looked at crime statistics from all 50 states and the District of Columbia between 1980 and 2018. More than 30 variables were considered in the study, including population density, poverty rates, alcohol consumption and other gun-control measures.[2] Their findings were clear: “Constitutional Carry does not lead to large-scale changes in homicides or firearm suicides. The doomsday scenarios of constitutional-carry opponents are not supported by social science.”
There are plenty of other studies that confirm those results, too. For example, research published by the Center for Justice Research, an independent criminal justice research center, found the largely beneficial impact of permitless carry on crime and violence in Ohio. It noted a decrease in gun-related crime following the state’s adoption of such laws.[3]
People like Mayor Reed who are against permitless carry dwell on hypothetical unintended consequences while ignoring the actual benefits it has for the public. The ability for anyone, regardless of background or social standing, to bear arms without needing a special form, meaningless paperwork, or bureaucratic authorization is more than just exercising constitutional privilege; it’s part of Alabama’s personal safety strategy every day, especially in high-risk areas. It gives us peace of mind knowing we can defend ourselves.
Permitless carry allows Alabamians to be their own first responder to themselves and the ones they love – no matter where they live.
People rely on this freedom as a matter of life and death, which is the point of my story. I agree with State Representative Shane Stringer who believes the root causes of gun crimes stem from deep rooted leadership failures and widespread systemic issues currently plaguing too many of our communities.[4] Crimes committed by criminals, who would never apply for a gun permit in the first place, can’t be equated to law-abiding citizens only trying to defend themselves.
City leaders in Montgomery need to look in the mirror and turn their attention to tackling the underlying causes of violent behavior instead of dismantling laws that allow for true self-defense.
[1] Grass, Jonathan. (2024, July 18). State lawmaker calls out Montgomery’s crime; mayor responds. WSFA https://www.wsfa.com/2024/07/18/state-lawmaker-calls-out-montgomerys-crime-mayor-responds/
[2] Adams, K. Alexander. (May 29, 2024). Research Highlights the Impact of Permitless Carry Laws on Crime and Violence.Firearms Research Center. https://firearmsresearchcenter.org/forum/research-highlights-the-impact-of-permitless-carry-laws-on-crime-and-violence/
[3] Adams, K. Alexander. (May 29, 2024). Research Highlights the Impact of Permitless Carry Laws on Crime and Violence.Firearms Research Center. https://firearmsresearchcenter.org/forum/research-highlights-the-impact-of-permitless-carry-laws-on-crime-and-violence/
[4] Monger, Craig. (July 13, 2024). State Rep. Stringer: Blaming permitless carry for Montgomery crime spike ‘ridiculous’. 1819 News.https://1819news.com/news/item/state-rep-stringer-blaming-permitless-carry-for-montgomery-crime-spike-ridiculous