Attorney Shomari Figures (left) won the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Congressional District in a runoff on Tuesday. Attorney Caroleene Dobson (right) won the Republican nomination for the seat. The candidates will face each other in November. (Left: Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector: Right: Caroleene Dobson Campaign)
Voters in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District will be presented with two different views of gun access and issues of firearm violence in the campaign this fall.
The issue is particularly important in Alabama, which for years has had some of the highest rates of gun violence in the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the state’s firearm death rate in 2022 was 25.5 per 100,000, the fourth-highest in the nation. Alabama had more firearm deaths that year (1,278) than New York State (1,044), which has almost four times Alabama’s population.
Democratic nominee Shomari Figures, an attorney by trade, said he supports updating a federal background check database and encouraging states to adopt red flag laws to remove firearms from those who are threats to themselves or others. He also wants to enhancing educational opportunities and programs that reduce poverty and enhance life outcomes.
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“We see gun violence as a problem here, not just in this district, but in this state, in this region, and in this country,” Figures said in an interview on Wednesday.
Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson, also an attorney, canceled a scheduled interview and did not return further requests for comment.
On her website, Dobson makes defending the rights of gun owners a central issue in her campaign but does not address the issue of gun violence.
“I firmly stand by the Second Amendment and believe it is a critical safeguard ingrained by our Founders to protect ‘We the People,’” her campaign website says.
Since its 2008 ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller , the U.S. Supreme Court has considerably limited the ability of government to regulate guns. In Heller, the court ruled that the Second Amendment affords individuals the right to own and have firearms to protect themselves from danger in their home. In McDonald vs. City of Chicago in 2010, the court decided that the “right to bear arms” amounted to a fundamental right that not only applied to federal laws, but also to state and local rules and regulations.
In 2022, in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association vs. Bruen , the justices struck down a 1911 New York State law requiring gun permit applicants to show they had a need for a gun. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, wrote that the law infringed on the right to bear arms and that regulations must demonstrate that they are “consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
“The Second Amendment says whatever the Supreme Court says it says,” wrote Kevin Wozniak, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland Maynooth who previously taught at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he studied the politics of punishment and criminal justice. “And this SCOTUS has declared that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to own guns in the Bruen decision.”
The decision has been criticized by other federal judges, and the court earlier this year appeared to walk it back somewhat. In June, the justices upheld a 1994 law banning firearms for people under restraining orders from spouses or partners.
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court rulings, Figures believes the Second Amendment gives the government the ability to restrict guns to further the public interest.
“Nothing in the Constitution tells us that we can’t have common sense gun laws,” he said. “I understand the Second Amendment myself. I am a gun owner myself. I grew up hunting, so I certainly understand the significance of the Second Amendment here. But I also understand the significance of taking the common sense approaches to protecting safety involving life here in Alabama.”
According to the Pew Research Center , 57% of those killed by firearms in 2021 died by suicide. Deaths involving firearms are also concentrated in the South, in states with some of the most permissive gun laws in the nation. According to the CDC, five of the top ten states for firearm deaths are in the South: Mississippi (29.6 deaths per 100,00); Louisiana (28.2); Alabama (25.5); Arkansas (21.9) and South Carolina (20.8).
Figures criticized the state for removing the permit requirement people who possess a firearm. Alabama did away with the pistol permit requirement in 2022 after the Legislature passed HB 272, sponsored by Rep. Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle. Sheriffs’ departments throughout the state opposed the proposal, citing the risk to public safety and the loss of permit revenue.
“They thought it was a brilliant idea, even in the face of opposition from law enforcement, to get rid of the requirement to have a permit to be able to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Alabama,” Figures said. “That makes no sense. It removes an incredibly valuable tool from law enforcement offices to make sure the people they encounter, who have guns, people they are lawfully encountering, to make sure those people should have a weapon.”
In terms of intervention of federal government, Figures said he wanted to ensure accuracy in the systems that law enforcement uses for background checks.
“We can certainly encourage states to adopt red flag laws so we can get guns out of the hands of people that history tells us are more likely to use them, especially in instances of domestic violence situations,” he said.
He also wants to provide resources to local law enforcement to address violence at the local level, and invest in social programs that help address risk factors for gun violence.
“From the federal government perspective, I think that is making investments in the things that reduce gun violence, making investments in the programs that we know help reduce poverty, help improve life outcomes, help improve health outcomes, improve job opportunities, improve educational outcomes.”
Dobson, for her part, has focused her efforts largely on maintaining the rights of gun owners.
“I will support policies empowering Alabamians to protect themselves, their families, homes, and communities,” she stated on her campaign website. “Restrictive gun laws disproportionately impact law-abiding citizens, who are then left defenseless while criminals disregard these laws entirely. Upholding the Second Amendment ensures that our citizens retain their ability to defend and maintain their freedoms in the present and future generations.”
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