When the state approved permitless carry of firearms, Alabama’s sheriffs feared it would create a loss of revenue for their offices.

Today, Gov. Kay Ivey announced a program to help alleviate some of that lost revenue.

Alabama’s 67 sheriff’s departments will begin receiving funds quarterly, the governor said. To receive funds from the Local Government Pistol Permit Revenue Loss Fund, each department must show it experienced a loss of pistol permit funds based upon 2022 figures. The funding will begin in the first quarter of 2023.

“A couple of core tenants of the Ivey Administration is that we back the blue in the strongest way possible and that we support upholding our citizens’ Second Amendment rights,” Ivey said. “As we have amended Alabama law to help our gun owners, we also worked to ensure our sheriffs received their critical funds, and I am proud that these grants will do that.

“The sheriffs’ grants will provide them with funding for training, equipment and other needs not provided by county commissions in their annual appropriations. We are proud to support the vital work our sheriffs departments do on a daily basis.”

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) will be delegating the money based on reports by various state agencies.

“ADECA intends to carry out our duties in this matter to ensure that Alabama’s sheriffs’ offices are compensated for their losses based on those shortages provided in the data,” said ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell,

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.