State Gun Laws

Some laws ban people from having a gun if they were found guilty (convicted) of a misdemeanor domestic violence crime. A misdemeanor is a less serious crime than a felony. In Alabama, it means a crime that can be punished by up to one year in jail or less.¹

A misdemeanor involves domestic violence if:

• the abuser
  
  • used or attempted to use physical force;
  • threatened to use a deadly weapon like a gun, switch-blade knife, or baton; or
  • threatened to use a “dangerous instrument,” which could be anything that the abuser is using or threatening to use in a way that could seriously hurt or kill you, including a car; and
• you are related to the abuser in one of these ways:
  
  • you are their:
    • current or former spouse;
    • parent or stepparent;
    • child or stepchild;
    • grandparent or step-grandparent;
    • grandchild or step-grandchild; or
  • you have a child in common;
  • you live or lived together; or
  • you are dating or used to date.²  

¹ Ala. Code § 13A-1-2(9)
² Ala. Code §§ 13A-11-72(h)(2)-(3); Ala. Code § 13A-1-2(5)