Alabama has weak gun laws that help feed the illegal gun market and allow the sale of guns without background checks, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. In the organization’s 2009 state scorecards released for all 50 states, Alabama earns just 16 points out of a total of 100.
According to government figures, Alabama also has the third highest percentage of crime guns recovered that were originally purchased within the state. The Brady Campaign relates this “homegrown” gun violence to the lack of gun laws in the state and nationally.