(a)

Attorney's Note

Under the Alabama Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C felony1 to 10 yearsup to $15,000
Class A misdemeanorup to 1 yearup to $6,000
Violationup to 30 daysup to $200
For details, see Ala. Code § 13A-5-6 and Ala. Code § 13A-5-7
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Terms Used In Alabama Code 13A-11-72

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • United States: includes the territories thereof and the District of Columbia. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(1) No person who has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of committing or attempting to commit a crime of violence, misdemeanor offense of domestic violence, violent offense as listed in Section 12-25-32(15), anyone who is subject to a valid protection order for domestic abuse, or anyone of unsound mind shall own a firearm or have one in his or her possession or under his or her control.
(2) A violation of this subsection is a Class C felony.
(b)

(1) No person who is a minor, except under the circumstances provided in this section, an habitual drunkard, or who has a drug addiction shall own a pistol or have one in his or her possession or under his or her control.
(2) A violation of this subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.
(c)

(1) No person who is an alien and is illegally or unlawfully in the United States or has been admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa as defined in 8 U.S.C § 1101(a)(26), provided no exception to the this subsection as listed in 18 U.S.C § 922(y)(2) applies, shall own a pistol or other firearm or have one in his or her possession or under his or her control.
(2) A violation of this subsection is a Class C felony.
(d)

(1) Subject to the exceptions provided by Section 13A-11-74, no person shall knowingly with intent to do bodily harm carry or possess a deadly weapon on the premises of a public school.
(2) A violation of this subsection is a Class C felony.
(e) School security personnel and school resource officers qualified under Section 16-1-44.1(a), employed by a local board of education, and authorized by the employing local board of education to carry a deadly weapon while on duty are exempt from subsection (d) . Law enforcement officers are exempt from this section, and persons with permits issued pursuant to Section 13A-11-75, are exempt from subsection (d) .
(f) A person shall not be in violation of Section 13A-11-57 or 13A-11-76 and a minor shall not be in violation of this section if the minor has permission to possess a pistol from a parent or legal guardian who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, and any of the following are satisfied:

(1) The minor is attending a hunter education course or a firearms safety course under the supervision of an adult who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.
(2) The minor is engaging in practice in the use of a firearm or target shooting at an established range under the supervision of an adult who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law.
(3) The minor is engaging in an organized competition involving the use of a firearm or participating in or practicing for a performance by an organized group under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3) which uses firearms as part of the performance.
(4) The minor is hunting or fishing pursuant to a valid license, if required, and the person has the license in his or her possession; has written permission of the owner or legal possessor of the land on which the activities are being conducted; and the pistol, when loaded, is carried only in a manner discernible by ordinary observation.
(5) The minor is on real property under the control of the minor’s parent, legal guardian, or grandparent.
(6) The minor is a member of the armed services or National Guard and the minor is acting in the line of duty.
(7) The minor is traveling by motor vehicle to any of the locations or activities listed in subdivisions (1) through (6), has written permission to possess the pistol or firearm by his or her parent or legal guardian, and the pistol or firearm is unloaded, locked in a compartment or container that is in or affixed securely to the motor vehicle, and is out of reach of the driver and any passenger in the motor vehicle.
(g) This section does not apply to a minor who uses a pistol or other firearm while acting in self-defense of himself, herself, or other persons against an intruder into the residence of the minor or a residence in which the minor is an invited guest.
(h) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

(6) SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER. An Alabama Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commissioner-certified law enforcement officer employed by a law enforcement agency who is specifically selected and specially trained for the school setting.
(4) PUBLIC SCHOOL. A school composed of grades K-12 and shall include a school bus used for grades K-12.
(2) DEADLY WEAPON. A firearm or anything manifestly designed, made, or adapted for the purposes of inflicting death or serious physical injury, and the term includes, but is not limited to, a bazooka, hand grenade, missile, or explosive or incendiary device; a pistol, rifle, or shotgun; or a switch-blade knife, gravity knife, stiletto, sword, or dagger; or any club, baton, billy, black-jack, bludgeon, or metal knuckles.
(1) CONVICTED.

a. Means a person was represented by counsel in the case, or knowingly and intelligently waived the right to counsel in the case if required by law, and either the case was tried before a judge, tried by a jury, or the person knowingly and intelligently waived the right to have the case tried, by guilty plea or otherwise.
b. A person is not considered to have been convicted for the purposes of this section if the person is not considered to have been convicted in the jurisdiction in which the proceedings were held or the conviction has been expunged, set aside, or is of an offense for which the person has been pardoned or has had his or her civil rights restored, unless the pardon, expungement, or restoration of civil rights expressly provides that the person may not ship, transport, possess, or receive firearms.
(3) MISDEMEANOR OFFENSE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. A misdemeanor offense that has, as its elements, the use or attempted use of physical force or the threatened use of a dangerous instrument or deadly weapon, and the victim is a current or former spouse, parent, child, person with whom the defendant has a child in common, or a present or former household member.
(8) VALID PROTECTION ORDER. An order issued after a hearing of which the person received actual notice, and at which the person had an opportunity to participate, that does either of the following:

a. Restrains the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening a qualified individual or child of the qualified individual or person or engaging in other conduct that would place a qualified individual in reasonable fear of bodily injury to the individual or child and that includes a finding that the person represents a credible threat to the physical safety of the qualified individual or child.

b. By its terms, explicitly prohibits the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the qualified individual or child that would reasonably be expected to cause bodily injury.
(5) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL. A spouse or former spouse of the person, an individual who is a parent of a child of the person, or an individual who cohabitates or has cohabited with the person.
(7) UNSOUND MIND. Includes any person who is subject to any of the findings listed below, and who has not had his or her rights to possess a firearm reinstated by operation of law or legal process:

a. Found by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, mental illness, incompetency, condition, or disease, is a danger to himself, herself, or others or lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his or her own affairs.
b. Found to be insane, not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, found mentally incompetent to stand trial, or found not guilty by a reason of lack of mental responsibility by a court in a criminal case, to include state, federal, and military courts.
c. Involuntarily committed for a final commitment for inpatient treatment to the Department of Mental Health or a Veterans’ Administration hospital by a court after a hearing.
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