Alabama lawmakers made it legal this year to carry a concealed handgun without a permit, a vote that could mean more guns more places.

The state already had the highest percentage of adults in America – 32 percent – willing to apply and pay for concealed carry permits, according to the national Crime Prevention Research Center. Alabama also ranks in the top 10 nationally in gun sales despite ranking 23rd in population.

Former Oklahoma City police officer, homicide investigator, chief district attorney’s investigator and gun trainer Gary Eastridge offered answers this week to questions gun owners and the public may have about the new reality. Eastridge works with the gun safety organization CCW Safe and here is the Q&A from that conversation edited lightly for length and clarity.

Q: Will the new law allowing gun carrying without a permit change much?

A: I think we will see more people carrying, not because of the permit, but because they don’t have to jump through all the hoops of the permit. We’re already getting questions here from members in Alabama about whether to retain their permit or carry under the new permit-less carry laws.

Q: What are you advising those people?

A: We advise to keep a permit simply because you gain reciprocity in about 2/3 of the country. Alabama’s one of the states that recognizes any permit from any state and most states have reciprocity with Alabama … or most states that offer any kind of reciprocity. So, with a permit you can carry in about 10 more states.

Now, that only becomes significant if you travel much, but for me the permit gains me the reciprocity.

Q: What has our experience been with growing numbers of guns and what will even more guns mean?

A: I was in the homicide unit of the police department here when our permit laws passed in the ‘90s. There were some concerns that minor incidents were going to result in a shootout, and it simply didn’t come to be. Oklahoma went almost two years before they even had a permit holder involved in a lethal use of force.

So, I think the vast majority of people are responsible enough with the permit or without the permit to always give some thought (to carrying). The criminal element always carried regardless of the laws. Now, the people who are carrying because the laws allow it are your responsible citizenry.

In my experience in law enforcement, we didn’t see an increase violent gun exchanges simply because of the gun law changes.

Q: Will there still be places I can’t take my handgun concealed or not?

A: Absolutely. There are places I can’t carry under LEOSA (the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act that permits police and retired police to carry in any state). And from my reading of the changes in the Alabama law, nothing has changed regarding those forbidden places. The only difference now is anyone 18 or over can carry without a permit.

A lot of people don’t realize the post office is one of the few federal facilities you can’t even carry in the parking lot. You can’t leave it in your car in the parking lot. You’re committing a federal felony. That remains. It’s very important to know the laws of any jurisdiction you might carry in.

Q: What is your advice to readers thinking about carrying a gun in Alabama?

A: We’re big proponents of training. My only concern with constitutional carry or permit-less carry is no training is required. It’s a constitutional right, so there’s an argument that no other right requires you to do things to exercise that right, but as a responsible gun owner we highly encourage seeking training. Also research, “Where can I, where can’t I?” And then if you’re carrying a gun for a reason – to address a potential threat – you must be aware of what happens after you exercise that right. Which is what our company offers. The average concealed carrier may know how to safely carry a gun, how to legally carry a gun. They have no idea what will happen if they have to pull that trigger.

I’ve seen it from both sides as a police officer and investigator in the district attorney’s office. Otherwise-law-abiding citizens get in trouble because they didn’t have a full understanding of carry laws and self-defense laws – when you can and when you can’t. Even those laws vary from district to district.

Q: Are you familiar with Alabama’s gun use laws?

A: I have not researched it. There’s a general, nationwide standard: You have to believe there’s an imminent threat of great bodily injury or death. That’s kind of the standard for self-defense. Texas allows the use of lethal force for theft after dark. We believe in “self-defense, no stuff defense.” The use of lethal force should be your absolute last option. And that’s why having that training is so significant.

Having been involved in a lethal encounter myself, I can tell you it’s something you will carry with you the rest of your life. I know in my situation it was life or death, and I still carry that emotional burden 40 years later. I’d hate to carry that burden over some “thing.” I just saw an ad for a giant flat-screen TV for $600. Is $600 worth taking someone’s life for?

The average carrier, concealed or open carry – and open carry is becoming more common around the country – prepares and says, ‘I need to get a gun because I face this threat or that threat.’ But they never think of what happens if I actually have to pull that trigger in a self-defense incident. And I can tell you from representing members here, there will always be an investigation and that officer interviewing you wouldn’t go in (to that investigation) without (legal) representation. And if charges are filed, you’re looking at the next two years of your life being controlled by the court system.

Q: Is there anything I didn’t ask that you want to make sure we know?

A: For me, getting the gun is the easy part. Being responsible with that right takes some effort. The training. I trained all our assistant DA’s when I was with the DA’s office. I’ve been a firearms instructor with the police department since the mid-80′s. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. If you’re not willing to take the time to train, to learn how to safely handle that firearm safely, you’re as much a danger to yourself or others as any potential attacker.

That training can be formal or informal. Costs have jumped, especially in ammunition. Ammo is three times what it was six years ago. It could be finding someone in your circle who’s knowledgeable and asking, “What do you recommend?” Training, safety and legal research are three things that are absolutely mandatory for any gun owner to consider.

(Note: The law passed by the Alabama Legislature still bans carrying a firearm inside a police, sheriff or highway patrol station; inside a prison, jail, halfway house, community corrections facility or other detention facility; inside a place providing inpatient or custodial care for people with psychiatric, mental or emotional disorders; inside a courthouse, courthouse annex; building housing a district attorney’s office, county commission or city council meeting; any public or private school athletic events (without a permit); and any facility or building with access limited by guards, biometric screening, turnstiles or other physical barriers.

Special provisions also apply at public or private workplaces where the employer restricts or prohibits guns although they can be kept unloaded in a locked private vehicle. The full law as passed and signed can be found here: https://arc-sos.state.al.us/ucp/L0899292.AI1.pdf