U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) is pushing back against more calls by Democrats for stricter gun control laws in the country.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has been calling for more gun control in the wake of the shootings a Brown University, and the terror attack in Australia.
https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1999997858179928389
Moore, who is also a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2026, recently told WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” that Democrats have no credibility on this issue.
“The thing is, it doesn’t work,” Moore said. “I mean, the highest crime cities in this country are ran by Democrats that restrict gun control, and they’ll take your guns and say, Well, call the police, and then they defund the police, and then they turn loose crimes or criminals on the streets. They’re not about protecting the American people, and gun control is not the solution.”
The congressman said the Second Amendment exists for a reason.
“The right and ability to bear arms is protected by the Constitution, and that’s another thing that the left has done in this country, but it does not work,” he argued. “We saw we see it in blue cities. We see it in Australia. The best way we can protect ourselves is well funded police, national security issues, making sure we’re securing the borders like we’re doing, and arm the US citizen to defend themselves, because you can’t always wait on somebody to be there to save you.”
Moore thinks there are better ways to address the issues of crime, gun violence, and terrorism.
“We have seen time and time again in this country, in churches where armed citizens defended and saved the congregation,” he said. “And you know, there is no place to disarm us citizens. The guns are not the problem. It’s the people they’re letting in these countries and the criminal element that we’re turning loose with a no cash bail. There’s no deterrent for that, so it’s a big problem. But I think right now, Islam is we’re seeing this, this movement across the globe, and there’s 51 majority Muslim nations.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
Montgomery Mayor Stephen Reed said he had a good conversation with Gov. Kay Ivey Wednesday about how to address crime in the city in the wake of the recent gun violence in Alabama capital city.
“Thank you, [Governor Kay Ivey], for the conversation this morning,” Reed said. “Montgomery is committed to doing our part—and we welcome the state’s partnership—as we tackle crime and build stronger, safer communities together.”
https://x.com/MayorofMgm/status/1976006038156706238
Ivey has been wanting to connect with Reed to discuss how the state can be of assistance after the Saturday night downtown mass shooting that left two dead and 12 wounded.
Earlier this week, Ivey’s office claimed that she called the mayor, but he didn’t pick up or call her back.
“Governor Ivey attempted to reach Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed Monday morning to offer her support. While he did not take the call, she left a voicemail to ask what she could do to help,” Gina Maiola, Governor Ivey’s top spokesperson said in a statement to Yellowhammer News.
Reed responded to the report, denying he ever received a phone call.
“Stop lying! No one called me,” Reed said. “Shameful how some of the Governor’s staff want to use this tragedy to score political points at the expense of people’s pain.”
https://x.com/MayorofMgm/status/1975542766970282050
Despite the back and forth, Reed and Ivey eventually spoke on the phone Wednesday.
“It was good to connect with [Mayor Stephen Reed] this morning,” Ivey said. “I reiterated what I said in my message Monday and that is that the state will do our very best to support local efforts. The state is a partner, just as I want locals to be a partner to us in combatting crime!”
https://x.com/governorkayivey/status/1975968808499376427?s=46&t=S7xDregvxoY6bt7EmgMHLA
Ivey announced expanded ALEA patrols among other measure to help keep Montgomery residents and visitors safe.
Reed told reporters Tuesday that there is cooperation between several Alabama agencies on the investigation and on how to prevent this kind of violence from occurring again in the future.
“We’ll continue to work with our partners at the County Sheriff’s Office, our partners at the state with the Alabama law enforcement, law enforcement agency as well as the ATF and the FBI,” Reed said. “So whether it’s federal, state or local, we’re going to work with each and every law enforcement agency we can and we’re going to work with those entities that want to work with us, that are outside of law enforcement to continue to make this a safer city.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth is calling out the left wing media for not acknowledging the connection between many recent mass shootings and individuals who attempt procedures to change genders.
The most recent attack was premeditated and carried out by 23-year-old Robert “Robin” Westman through the building’s windows on Wednesday morning during a Mass.
The killer identified as a transgender individual and posted video online of weapons and magazines in his possession. The guns had written messages on them such as ‘Kill Trump Now!’, ‘Burn Israel’, and ‘Where is your God?’.
Ainsworth took to social media Thursday to comment on the shooting.
“The liberal media refuses to recognize the growing link between “transgenders” and mass shootings, but facts are facts,” Ainsworth said.
“The sooner everyone accepts that God made men, and God made women, and one can never become the other, the quicker we can lessen these events from happening.”
https://x.com/willainsworthAL/status/1961066771382718484
Ainsworth posted an image that detailed other recent incidents where the shooter identified a transgender.
This list included a mass shooting at Covenant Christian School in Nashville, Tennessee in 2023. Audrey Hale, who identified as transgender, also left a manifesto revealing her deep hatred for Christianity and her parents’ religious beliefs.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
After a terrible shooting at a children’s dance recital, State Representative Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile) has decided she needs to undo Alabama’s constitutional carry law. Trust me, the people shooting up a dance recital are not going to be deterred by a law.
Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is urging members of Congress to protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights across state lines.
Marshall recently sent a multi-state letter calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. The resolution, H.R. 38, would allow those who are lawfully cleared to carry a concealed firearm in their home state to enjoy the same privileges in any other state where concealed carry is legal.
“Congress has the power to resolve this issue, and we are calling for immediate action on H.R. 38,” Marshall said. “Although Alabama no longer requires a permit to carry a concealed firearm, Alabamians traveling around our country might opt to purchase a permit to enjoy national reciprocity and would no longer face the risk of criminal penalties simply for exercising their constitutional rights in states with more restrictive laws.”
Constitutional Carry went into effect in Alabama in 2023, allowing Alabamians to conceal carry without a permit.
Marshall and 23 other state attorneys general emphasized that broad rights for concealed carry among law-abiding citizens promote public safety and respect gun owners’ fundamental liberties.
“Concealed carry is a constitutional right,” the letter states, “and it can have substantial public safety benefits by allowing people the means to respond to emergent threats to themselves or others when police are not immediately available to intervene.”
The letter refutes anti-gun critics, noting that anyone prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm is excluded. The attorneys general also cite independent studies showing that concealed carry licensees are more law-abiding than the general population.
RELATED: Tuberville, Britt reintroduce pro-second amendment Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
“Yet our constituents are threatened with arrest, prosecution, and mandatory prison time for technical violations of licensing or possession laws involving conduct that is perfectly legal in all but a handful of states, most of which have well-established history and practice of suppressing the right to keep and bear arms,” the letter explains. “This is unacceptable, and Congress has the authority and the duty to protect these rights.”
The Oklahoma and West Virginia-led letter was also signed by Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) reintroduced a bill Monday that will help protect Americans’ Second Amendment rights.
Tuberville joined U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kans.) in reintroducing the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act. This legislation would remove the taxation, registration, and regulation of short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and any other weapons under the National Firearms Act (NFA).
“For too long, unelected bureaucrats have misplaced their priorities by overregulating the use of firearms that Americans are legally entitled to own,” Tuberville said. “Every American has a right to bear arms to protect themselves and their families. I’m proud to join legislation that cuts red tape and protects law-abiding gun-owners.”
Every American has a right to bear arms to protect themselves and their families.
I am proud to join @RogerMarshallMD in reintroducing the SHORT Act to cut red tape and protect law-abiding gun owners. https://t.co/lKMSd7d8If
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) March 31, 2025
The measure is meant to protect against overregulation of gun owners by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
RELATED: Tuberville, Britt reintroduce pro-second amendment Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act
“‘Shall not be infringed’ is crystal clear – and the Biden-era abuses of the Constitutionally protected rights of gun owners across the country need to be undone,” Marshall said.
“The SHORT Act takes a step toward rolling back nonsensical regulations that the National Firearms Act has placed upon gun owners. I challenge my colleagues in both chambers to pass this legislation and join me in fully restoring and protecting our God-given Second Amendment rights.”
The Biden Administration used the NFA to go after people who own pistols with stabilizing braces. The ATF under Biden enforced the ban. Gun owners who wanted to keep their firearms had to either violate the regulation or sign up in a registry titled “Amnesty Registration of Pistol Brace Weapons.”
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) co-sponsored the measure along with U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N. Dak.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Justice (R-W. Va.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebr.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) in cosponsoring the legislation.
Gun owners of America and the National Association of Gun Rights have endorsed the bill.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is arguing against the narrative pushed by some Democrats that the state needs stricter gun control to combat a rise in crime. The issue resurfaced this year after Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin called for more gun control in response to a mass shooting in his city that killed 4 people.
“We don’t have any interest in this whole debate about Second Amendment rights,” Woodfin said at the time. “We don’t have any interest in people wanting to protect their homes, militia, whatever else you want to say. There’s a certain element in this city, there’s a certain element in this community, who are too comfortable riding around with semi-automatic weapons, automatic weapons, conversions, switches and everything else whose only intent, hellbent intent, is to harm people, shoot people, kill people.”
Marshall told WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” that the statistics just don’t back up the arguments in favor of more gun laws.
“I don’t buy that at all,” Marshall said. “If in fact that was the driver, then why don’t we see more evidence of the consistent rise in violent crime across our state? We don’t.
Marshall pointed to other cities in the state that have the same laws surrounding guns but haven’t seen a rise in crime.
“Look, Huntsville is a great example of that, right? I mean, you can see a significant contrast between violent crime in the Tennessee Valley versus what we’ve seen in Montgomery and Birmingham,” he explained. “And so if in fact if the gun issue was what was the driver of that criminal problem, then the data ought to reflect that in other places, and it simply doesn’t.”
RELATED: Randall Woodfin joins Biden, Harris for executive order signing on already-illegal gun devices
Marshall argued that there are other ways they have dealt with crime that have shown to work.
“We’ve seen tremendous success in Montgomery, and hopefully, people have been able to follow the collaborative efforts of ALEA, the local sheriff here in Montgomery, our office, as well as the Montgomery Police Department, where there’s been exponential decrease in violent crime rates, robbery rates, sexual assaults as a result of surging law enforcement in the communities,” he said. “You know people want to talk about in place blame. The reality is, we know the effective things at work, and that is proactive, professional and engaged law enforcement working in communities.”
“And it’s interesting to me that many of those who were harping on the narrative of defunding the police, and those that were really demonizing the work of law enforcement generally, have now swung full circle and have said we need the presence of law enforcement or communities,” he added. “We need to put bad guys in jail, and we then can allow for safe practices to be taking place in communities throughout Alabama. We’ve shown that works here in Montgomery.
RELATED: AG Marshall: Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit could be effective in Birmingham
Marshall said he hopes Birmingham will implement a similar strategy as Montgomery to help the city fight crime.
“We have shared that success with officials in Birmingham, and hope that they will take opportunities to be proactive in putting law enforcement in places where they’re needed, to be able to recruit effectively, to enhance the numbers on their police force, because that’s what works,” he argued. “When you have the presence of law enforcement doing their jobs, we see communities become safer, and that’s an opportunity to be able to do that throughout the state.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
Radio talk show host Dale Jackson and 256 Today CEO Mecca Musick, take you through Alabama’s biggest political stories.
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Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN, Talk 99.5, and News Radio 1440 from 10-11 a.m., and on Talk Radio 103.9 FM/730AM WUMP from 3-4 p.m.
State Rep. Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery) thinks his bill to ban Glock switch devices in Alabama has a good chance of passing during the 2025 state legislative session.
The issue has received new attention in recent days in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Birmingham that left 4 people dead and 17 others injured. Officials believe a Glock switch type device was used. More than 100 shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Glock switches are devices that allow some handguns to fire automatically with just one pull of the trigger. Thursday on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show,” Ensler said he’s “optimistic” that a bill to ban Glock switches will make it through next session.
“My hope is that Senators recognize this as a public safety issue,” Ensler said. “It’s just a way of giving district attorneys in Alabama another tool. And as I’ve said over and over again, this is not going to stop all situations. It’s not going to stop every horrible you know, shooting, but it can at least give our district attorneys a little more tools in the toolbox to try to fight crime and hold people accountable. So I’m hopeful and optimistic the Senate will pass it.”
Ensler has pre-filed a bill for the 2025 session that would ban pistols fitted with “trigger activators” that convert semi-automatic firearms into automatic. The bill would make possessing the trigger activators a Class C felony.
Owning a Glock switch is already illegal under federal law, but Ensler thinks there also needs to be penalties on the state level.
“It’s becoming increasingly burdensome for the federal government to prosecute all of the cases,” he argued. “So by opening it up on a state level, where there’s a state crime, it just allows another mechanism to prosecute. So it’s essentially just saying, yes, U.S. prosecutors can do it, but we want to make sure that our duly elected, great district attorneys all throughout the state of Alabama, especially Montgomery, especially in Birmingham, you know that they’re able to prosecute.”
The lawmaker admitted that a law like this might not stop all mass shootings, but it’s a good step in addressing the increasing crime problem in cities like Birmingham.
“Look, I’m not going to go ahead and say that the law would have stopped what happened in Birmingham,” he said. “There’s no way of knowing for sure, but what can happen is that when law enforcement find these devices moving forward, if they go ahead and prosecute someone and lock them up before they’re able to carry out a horrible situation, it could stop one shooting. It could save one life.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) and Birmingham Mayor Woodfin are engaged in a very public disagreement over the root cause cause and proper response to a recent shooting in Five Points South over the weekend. The shooting left four dead and 24 others injured Saturday night. Officials say the shooting was not random.
“I have stopped trying to reach out to the leaders of the city of Birmingham,” Givan said Monday on WBRC 6. “Because when the conversations start they sometimes feel it’s accusatory. It’s not accusatory.”
Woodfin has used the tragedy to again call for more gun control, including a ban on Glock switches that allows some handguns to fire automatically with just one pull of the trigger.
Givan argued that while she supports more gun control, she believes that’s not the core issue plaguing the community.
“We could pass 500 gun laws today,” she said. “Birmingham’s problems right now lies because our law enforcement is down nearly 400 officers. There are not enough officers to police the city of Birmingham.”
In response to Givan’s comments, Woodfin posted a picture on his Facebook showing pictures of many of Jefferson County’s state representatives — but put a “not you” on Givan’s picture.
Givan later reacted to Woodfin’s post saying on her social media, “I would have personally loved a bigger picture!”
The state lawmaker has made it clear she’s not trying to blame city leaders for what happened, she just wants to find a solution. “And the question becomes, when does it end?” She told ABC 33/40. “Again, I’m not here to blame anyone, but we are one step away from having to call the National Guard in.”
In response to Givan’s remark about the National Guard, Mayor Woodfin said, “That’s just a wack statement,” during a press conference on Tuesday.
https://x.com/abc3340/status/1838263157871055284
Givan also told 1819 News that Mayor Woodfin is a “little boy in a big job.”
“From now on, I’m going to treat him like the little boy he is,” Givan said. “I will not work with him to get anything done. When you do something like that, you are saying to the world that you are either desperate, you are bothered, you are threatened and you have a lack of regard for your leaders in your area.”
“You’re a little boy in a big job, and I meant what I said. Listen, I can only speak to the city of Birmingham where I am. It’s a crisis everywhere. First of all, you have to have leadership that’s going to listen. You can’t have a mayor that says they are progressive, that ran on a progressive ticket but they are not doing anything that is progressive. You don’t see the progression in the city of Birmingham.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
7. U.S. Reps. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) and Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) introduced legislation to promote the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and micro-reactors, aiming create more power, enhance energy production, and reliability, particularly in the Tennessee Valley. The bill calls for the Department of Energy to build and demonstrate two reactor projects by 2034, with at least one located near an existing or retired nuclear site, such as Alabama’s Bellefonte Nuclear Plant.
6. Congressional leaders reached a deal to avert a government shutdown by advancing a three-month stopgap funding bill that extends federal funding until Dec. 20. The agreement includes emergency funding for the Secret Service and FEMA but omits the voter registration restrictions sought by former president Donald Trump.
5. The FBI’s “2023 Crime in the Nation Report” shows a significant decline in violent crime, with homicides down 11.6% and reported rapes down 9.4%, while car theft rose by 20%. This marks the largest year-over-year drop in murders in 20 years, though violent crime rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels but the suggestion that this is a full picture of the country has drawn plenty of skepticism as the numbers mean 2022-2023 violent crime has dropped 3% but the media’s narrative of plummeting crime and safer streets is technically correct, the best kind of correct, but not being felt by citizens.
4. Israel escalated its military operations against Hezbollah, killing hundreds people in Lebanon as part of a new phase of conflict. Amid accusations of “extermination” from Lebanon, Israel insists the strikes are necessary to neutralize Hezbollah, while the group vows to continue fighting until a ceasefire in Gaza is reached.
3. Federal prosecutors allege Ryan Routh, appearing in court to stand accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, had written a letter admitting to his failed plan and had been surveilling Trump’s golf course and Mar-a-Lago estate for a month before his arrest. Routh expressed his motives in a letter that echoed the rhetoric of Trump’s Democratic opponents, viewing Trump as a threat to peace and unfit for the presidency. His manifesto-like writing reflects how deeply anti-Trump discourse has permeated some individuals’ mindsets, raising concerns about the potential consequences of such political rhetoric.
2. In the wake of a mass shooting in Birmingham that left four dead and 17 wounded, Alabama lawmakers and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin are renewing calls for stricter penalties on Glock switches, illegal devices that convert semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic weapons. State Rep. Neil Rafferty, University of Alabama at Birmingham football head coach Trent Dilfer (for some reason), and others argue for the urgency of state legislation to address the rise in gun-related homicides, with proposed penalties including mandatory prison sentences for those caught with the devices.
1. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin took aim at State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) after she suggested the National Guard might need to step in due to rising crime in the city, sharing headshots of lawmakers on Facebook with a “not you” remark over Givan’s photo. Givan, citing understaffing in the police department, warned that without more officers, the city may need backup to handle the escalating violence.
State Rep. Shane Stringer (R-Citronelle) is pushing back against calls for more gun control that have come in response to recent shootings in some of Alabama’s biggest cities.
A shooting in Birmingham left four dead and 24 others injured Saturday night. Officials say the shooting was not random but an “isolated incident.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin reacted to the news during a press conference Sunday and called for more gun control, including a ban on Glock switches that allows some handguns to fire automatically with just one pull of the trigger.
“We don’t have any interest in this whole debate about Second Amendment rights,” Woodfin said. “We don’t have any interest in people wanting to protect their homes, militia, whatever else you want to say. There’s a certain element in this city, there’s a certain element in this community, who are too comfortable riding around with semi-automatic weapons, automatic weapons, conversions, switches and everything else whose only intent, hellbent intent, is to harm people, shoot people, kill people.”
During an appearance on Monday’s “The Jeff Poor Show” on FM Talk 106.5, Stringer said that more gun control isn’t a real solution.
“We cannot keep kicking the can down the road and trying to blame everything on guns or a Glock switch or a $20 piece of plastic in the form of a permit,” Stringer said. “We have got to do proactive policing in these communities…we’ve got gangs, we’ve got just thugs that are out of control.”
The state lawmaker said that some just want to find an “easy solution” when there is no easy solution.
“This is a problem with a lot of different facets, whether it’s the family element, it’s the community element, it’s a social, economic problem. There’s a lot of factors that play into these situations, but the fact is, we have got to address the problem, which is the actors, the people that are doing these evil acts. And you know, we cannot legislate an evil heart in Montgomery.”
Stringer said one thing the Legislature can do is add tougher penalties on these type of crimes.
“I’ve recommended it from day one that let’s make stricter penalties on anybody that uses the Glock switch in the commission of a crime,” he said. Let’s add stiffer penalties to them. But of course, the Democrats don’t want to hear that. Their solution is let everybody, all these follow defenders out of jail, and that’s going to make us safer, which I absolutely don’t know where they’re getting their information or facts.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
7. A Jackson County judge dismissed the murder charge against Jerry Carl Hicks after a “Stand Your Ground” hearing determined he was justified in using deadly force against Aaron Morris Nix during an altercation in April 2023. During the October 2023 hearing, Hicks testified that Nix had yelled about a child in the bathroom and later approached Hicks’s vehicle, leading to an altercation where Nix shoved and hit him multiple times. Hicks stated he warned Nix he had a gun, and when Nix reached into his waistband and stepped toward him, Hicks shot him in self-defense before calling 911.
6. Gun bills will die in 2025 as Alabama Democrats plan to introduce several gun control bills, including one that makes it a felony to give or sell an assault-style weapon to someone under 18, following renewed concerns after a school shooting in Georgia. But despite Republican opposition, some proposals, like a ban on devices turning handguns into automatic weapons, may have a chance of passing due to bipartisan support.
5. Another Pride event targets children and people in Daleville, Ala., are raising concerns ahead of the 2nd annual South Alabama Pride Festival, fearing it targets children and may encourage life-altering decisions because these groups REFUSE to leave children out of the conversations. Critics, including former Alabama State Board of Education member Betty Peters, argue the event and its sponsors are promoting inappropriate content for children, while organizers describe it as a family friendly celebration of LGBTQ+ lives.
4. An investigation has been launched after a video showed a Hueytown police officer punching a man at a gas station during an arrest AFTER the man pulled back from an attempted arrest. The officer involved is on paid leave while the incident, which did not involve firearms, is being investigated, according to Hueytown Police Chief Mike Yarbrough. But aldotcom headlined the story as “Hueytown police caught on video punching man at gas station sparks investigation,” implying the act is nefarious and left the race out of the story (the “victim” is white).
3. Republican U.S. Sen. from Ohio and vice presidential candidate JD Vance echoed concerns heard in Alabama and over the United States about our flawed asylum process, accurately citing reports of animals being eaten, despite the mainstream media’s insistence that this is all fake news and that anyone complaining is cruel and hateful. The facts are simple, the incidents about pets have been reported at a Springfield City Council meeting and the Haitian population in the U.S. is growing and in this town in Ohio has seen a community health clinic reported a 13-fold increase in Haitian patients from 115 in 2021 to 1,500 in 2023, overwhelming staff and budget, while school enrollment and affordable housing demand have also surged.
On Tuesday, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the city is in an unfair fight with increasing gun violence due to failures by the state government to allow cities like Birmingham to implement gun control.
“The gun culture, as well as gun violence, in our community continues to rear its head in ways that are stupid, reckless,” Woodfin said. “At a local level, our hands are tied as far as being able or legally allowed to regulate guns. The state of Alabama has chosen to go in the direction of no one even needs a permit. People can ride around with any type of guns.”
The mayor was referencing the constitutional carry bill signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2022. He made the comments Tuesday in reaction to a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning in a gas station parking lot on Third Avenue West, leaving one man dead and six others injured.Woodfin blames “inaction” at the state and federal level for the recent uptick in gun violence.
“You have inaction at the federal level, where the assault weapon ban expired and has not been renewed, and so it’s not just guns, but it’s the type of guns, military style guns that are on Birmingham’s streets,” he said. “When you get no action or inaction at the federal level, when you get the state that says you don’t even need a permit, people still look to the 10 of us (mayor and city council), where we can’t even regulate guns.”
RELATED: Mobile Police Department reports reduced crime in annual report
Woodfin also argued that some of the local businesses bear some responsibility for the growing problem.
“Since the incident this weekend, the legal department has filed civil injunction against several of the establishments in the 800 block of Third Avenue West,” he explained. “I want to put all businesses on notice. We had this conversation publicly with you all two weeks ago. We believe in supporting our small businesses. Small businesses are the backbone of our community, as well as how we produce taxes in this community. At the same time, I think it’s worth noting publicly that there is an expectation that those who are small business owners, that they are responsible for the activities that happen on their private property, and or that spill out onto our public spaces that create or cause a public nuisance. Ultimately, you have to be held accountable.”
According to WBRC, “Birmingham police are looking at 42 murders. This time last year, the number was 38. Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond says a big part of the totals so far has come from around Valentines Day when six people were killed in one day.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
Voters in House District 10 in Madison County go to the polls on Tuesday to vote for their next State Representative. The special election pits Democratic nominee Marilyn Lands against Republican Teddy Powell.
Marilyn Lands has made national headlines for her hard progressive stances on social issues in bright red Alabama. Lands has taken staunchly pro-abortion and anti-gun positions and is campaigning as an openly social liberal candidate.
Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Birmingham) has been on the ground in the district campaigning for Lands.
“I’m here for her,” Jones said. “This is a big race. This community has an opportunity to send someone to the state legislature who cares about the entire community.”
“I believe it’ll send a strong message across the state and the country that Alabama is ready to move in a new, positive direction,” Jones said.
Lands has expressed her opposition to the Alabama voters’ decision to declare that life begins at conception in a recent amendment to the state conception.
“It just seems wrong that we have taken a giant leap backwards there,” Lands said. “Alabama’s no exceptions abortion ban is putting lives at risk. We must repeal this legislation, and if I’m elected on March 26th, I’ll work tirelessly to do just that.”
That stance has earned Lands the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Southeast and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.
“Parenthood’s endorsement of our campaign highlights the stark contrast in this race,” Lands said. “With your help and support, I’ll be a champion for reproductive healthcare in Montgomery.”
Her staunch anti-guns stand has earned her the endorsement of anti-second amendment rights group Every Town for Gun Safety.
Lands lost in 2022 to David Cole, 51.6 to 45% with Libertarian Elijah Boyd drawing 3.4%. However, Lands thinks this time is different.
“I think this being a special election will be very different,” Lands said. “Democrats tend to fare better in specials. And we’ve got some momentum with having run a campaign and I feel like we can turn our people back out this time.”
Cole beat Lands even though it was widely reported that Cole did not live in the district as it was redrawn following the 2020 census and voters voted for him over Lands anyway.
RELATED: ‘Real and Honest’: Powell releases first campaign video for North Alabama special election
Where Cole was a first-time candidate from outside the district, Teddy Powell is a known commodity in district 10, having served two terms on the Madison City Council solving problems and serving the people of the district.
Powell also served on the Finance Subcommittee, Zoning Board of Appeals, Industrial Development Board and the Historic Review Board. He has been a former employee of the City of Madison and has started and owned several small businesses.
“I will work hard for you like I have the last seven years,” Powell says. “I am ready to go to work solving real problem like: Getting inflation under control, keeping our economy going, and getting our kids the best education.”
Powell underscored that his priorities include maintaining one of the top school systems in the state, strategic economic development, continued infrastructure development, preservation and revitalization, and business expansion.
HD10 contains portions of the City of Madison and the City of Huntsville. All of the district sits within a booming Madison County.
Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Voters must remember to bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com
A parent of an elementary school student in Jefferson County is defending his 6-year-old son after he was suspended for making a “finger gun” while playing with his classmate.
The student’s father, Jerrod Belcher, said his son J.B. was accused of committing a “Class III” infraction while playing “cops and robbers” with his friend at Bagley Elementary School.
Belcher talked about the situation Thursday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program.”
“I tried to talk sense to her,” Belcher said about the assistant principal who suspended his son. “I’m like ‘listen, this is just two kids playing. You should use reason and discretion.’ But she just kind of dug her heals in and just basically said ‘these are the rules and this is what’s going to happen.'”
At first he gave the assistant principal the benefit of the doubt, but was still not convinced his son did anything wrong after hearing the full story.
“So we sat down and I ask her, ‘Can you tell me what happened?’ And she proceeds to tell me that my son was playing with another student and they were using their index fingers as a gun,” he said. “And I’m like ‘OK – was there any threat involved, any hostilities?’ And she said no. ‘Was there any violence, physical contact?’ She said no. ‘Was there any indication of a future threat?’ She said no. And I said ‘well this kind of sounds like two boys playing cops and robbers.’ And she admitted that’s what it was.”
Belcher is working with Gun Owners of America and taking legal action against the school to get the incident expunged from his son’s school record.
“Well what we’re asking for is having this issue removed from his record,” he said, “because they literally put a scarlet letter in his file, labeling him as potentially violent and dangerous. So that is the number one goal. The next thing is we want some policy change so this doesn’t happen to any other student.”
In response to the complaint, Dr. Walter Gonsoulin, superintendent of the Jefferson County School system, released a statement saying, “In this particular case, the parents were contacted and took the student home for the remainder of the day because of the initial information we received.”
Belcher admitted he’s shocked that something like this can happen in Alabama.
“I can’t believe this happened,” he said. “It shouldn’t happen anywhere, but I wouldn’t have been as surprised if this happened in say California or New York, but I never would have expected this to happen in rural Alabama.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
7. Grant Jackson’s favorite drive-thru zoo closed for good, after Harmony Park Safari says they are out of business. There was a recorded message received if you call the number for the zoo, “After 30 years, we will be permanently closing our gates. From this day forward, we are permanently closed.”
6. Alabama baseball already fired their head coach Brad Bohannon last week after a sportsbook’s surveillance video showed a person placing suspicious bets against the Crimson Tide showed were in communications with him. NCAA policy says coaches can not be doing this, obviously, but now the spread of sports gambling is going to make these moments a more common occurrence.
5. State Auditor Andrew Sorrell says the Legislature’s timidity on “Environmental, Social, and Governance” (ESG) investing is confounding, “The Republican base knows what ESG is … the name ID of ESG is increasing. And people don’t want this, they don’t want ESG invading our financial institutions in the state.”
4. When Title 42 falls, everyone knows even more illegal immigrants are coming, Alabama will not be spared. State Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City) recently visited the border and noted, “These people, when they come across, they’re coming into Alabama. They’re coming into Mississippi, Georgia, and some are staying here and some are continuing to go up north … they’re traveling everywhere.”
3. A police officer was called for a person who was asleep and intoxicated at a red light and, when a Midfield police officer arrived, he spoke with the driver before the driver jumped back in his car and drove off dragging the officer. Calls of “officer down” drew multiple agencies to the scene where the officer stopped and held the man, who is still jailed. The officer went to the emergency room and was released.
2. A particularly bloody weekend with media attention centering on a shooting and ramming of a bus stop in Texas has demands for gun control and the suggestion of a Hispanic shooter at an outdoor mall with white supremacist leanings. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants a focus on mental health.
1. Alabama Democrats charged a “poll tax” to get into their latest meeting where the leadership questionably dismantled the national party’s coalition of identity groups to focus on the black power structure. Even the dumbest people in Alabama politics know that Alabama Democrats are a mess, aldotcom’s Kyle Whitmire haughtily opines, “If this is how the Alabama Democratic Party functions, perhaps it’s better that Republicans control Alabama,” as if he has any impact on anything outside of his shrinking newsroom.
LISTEN HERE:
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10 a.m. to noon.
In the wake of the mass shooting in Dadeville where four people were killed and 32 others injured, some Democrats in the Legislature are pushing for stricter gun control laws.
“Thoughts and Prayers alone are NOT enough!! WE MUST ACT NOW!” State Rep. Merika Coleman (D-Birmingham) said on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/RepColeman/status/1647933913321308162?s=20
Coleman wants the Legislature to take up her bill that would implement “red flag” laws in the state.
State Sen. Jay Hovey (R-Dadeville) responded to the calls for more gun control during a speech on the Senate floor this week.
“I’ve been honored to get to know the good people of Dadeville in Tallapoosa County over the last year and my heart goes out to the entire community over these tragic events,” Hovey said. “People are going to try to politicize this event as so many others that break our hearts, but I’m going to tell you now, and you’ll hear me so over and over again over the next years that we work together that we’re never going to be able to legislate morality.
“The evil in this world that continues to devastate our communities across the country can only be defeated in the hearts and minds and homes and churches of these communities.”
While Hovey believes gun control is not the answer, he did acknowledge the role of lawmakers in keeping cities safe.
“They’ll be discussions on this floor and in legislative bodies across this country about the responsibility of legislators,” he said. “While, of course, we have the responsibility to do everything we can to protect our communities, this war will only be won by changing hearts.”
Coleman reacted to Hovey’s speech, arguing that her bill would be a step in the right direction in the fight against gun violence.
“The bill that I have in my opinion at this point would not have prevented what happened in Dadeville,” she said, “but it’s a tool in the toolbox that law enforcement can have to get guns out of people’s hands who pose a threat to themselves or others.”
She also said “red flag” laws are not just supported by Democrats.
“They are bipartisan, or I would even say nonpartisan,” she said. “Other conservative states in response to a mass shooting have had to pass these. Just last week I was saying that I hope we would not have to do something in response to a mass shooting, and then Dadeville happened.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
7. Fox News had to pay up to settle a defamation lawsuit over claims in the 2020 election surrounding Dominion’s voting system. Fake Russian collusion narratives are still award-winning and fi-i-i-i-ine.
6. A bill to stop newspapers from raping the state and local governments over fees for public notices passed out of an Alabama House committee it originated in and, of course, local newspapers oppose it. The opposition is one of greed, if it was to provide transparency, a public service, or if the public demanded it at all they would just do it for free to attract readers. Florida already did this.
5. A Madison City Schools JROTC instructor has referred to a student organization, Turning Point USA, as being affiliated with the KKK, according to schoolboardwatchlist.org. When confronted with this, the teacher then sent an e-mail to the parents of the leader of this group denying she did any of this. She lied about what she did, then she doubled down.
4. Cities across Alabama are whining that it will be harder for them to keep taxes on groceries in place if the state removes its tax on those items. This is some pathetic leadership on display, especially considering one city has already cut its tax on food.
3. Transgender athletes will be banned from participating in sports outside of their assigned gender or, more accurately, men can not play women’s sports for colleges in the state of Alabama if this bill passes. The House has passed this bill by a 93-5 margin with 14 legislators abstaining.
2. The Alabama State House may actually do it, they may finally eliminate failing schools in Alabama! How? By declaring that failing schools should not be called failing schools, just like the State Superintendent Eric Mackey wanted. Hopefully, the Alabama State Senate throws this in the garbage where it belongs.
1. Alabama’s Republican-led House of Representatives held a moment of silence for those killed and injured in the Sweet 16 shooting in Dadeville. State Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville) said “Gun fire erupted in violence, killing four young people, and injuring 32 others, some of those critical. It’s a sad day in the state when something so senseless happens. Our hearts go out to families and friends who lost loved ones in this attack.” Democrats then called for gun control.
LISTEN HERE:
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10 a.m. to noon.
7. Bud Light screwed up again, this time four disgusting human beings were part of a staged photoshoot holding bottles of Bud Light. While the Dylan Mulvaney fiasco was bad, Bud Light’s brand was damaged even more when California’s Democrats U.S. Reps. Ted Lieu, Mark Takano, Judy Chu, and Adam Schiff posed with Bud Light.
6. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not done with his war on the House of Mouse. He joked there could be a new prison built near the property and will work to revoke a deal Disney tried to strike with outgoing members of their development board attempt in an attempt to blunt the governor’s powers.
5. China was running a secret police station in New York City and now two American citizens have been arrested for their part in it. Some of the things the station did were innocuous like helping Chinese citizens renew Chinese driver’s licenses, but they also were using the station to do things like tracking down a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil for the communist Chinese government.
4. Two media stories involving claims of racism, one involving a white man who has been charged with shooting a black 16-year-old who reportedly knocked on the wrong door looking for his sisters. Another case involves police officers not being charged after shooting a black man dozens of times after he fled police on a traffic stop, shot at police officers, ran from them on foot, exited a vehicle in a ski mask, refused orders before being tased, and was then shot as officers believed he reached for his waistband.
3. Republicans put Democrats on defense when they held a congressional hearing from New York City on crime and lawlessness. Democrats had no choice but to pretend this was a made-up issue, which did not go over well with the parents of dead people who were in attendance to testify.
2. Alabama Democrats are ready to push for gun control of some kind, but this seems unlikely to pass. The attempted ban on assault weapons by State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) is just another push for the same policies that they already wanted and can’t get accomplished. Gov. Kay Ivey has not yet taken a position on these bills that do not exist yet.
1. We still have very little information about what happened in Dadeville on Saturday night. Four were killed but the number of shooters, types of guns, nor the events of that evening are known. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says that the shooters in the Dadeville Sweet 16 shooting were likely using handguns and the total number of wounded shooting victims has risen from 28 to 32. ALEA continues seeking more information about that night.
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Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Rep. Barbara Drummond (D-Mobile) filed a bill in the Alabama House last week that would charge parents if their child brings an unsecured firearm to school.
Originally, the bill made the penalty a Class C felony, but Drummond says lawmakers are working on dropping it down to a misdemeanor offense.
The state lawmaker promoted her bill on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show,” Monday.
“I don’t think that this is a gun bill, I think that this is more about school safety for our children and it does not violate anyone’s Second Amendment rights,” Drummond said. “What it does is make parents responsible if that weapon is not secured … we need to get parents’ attention because the safety of our children is what is at risk.
“And I tell people that this bill is something that I felt was rather common sense.”
Drummond reiterated that a parent would only be charged if it was proven the student had the firearm because it was not properly secured by that parent.
“If law enforcement says that this weapon didn’t go off because you, as that child’s father had that gun secured, then it would be no charges against you because you had the gun secured,” she said. “It wasn’t the fact that it just went on campus, but if it was secured, your kid could not use that gun to fire it off or harm other children. And if you go and talk to school administrators, resource officers, and teachers there are a lot of guns that are showing up on our school campuses.”
Drummond emphasized that gun owners need to be responsible with their firearms, especially around children.
“I am a gun owner,” she said, “and I don’t have small children … but I have my grandchildren and nieces and nephews … I have a biometric lock, but I do keep it out of their reach, so I’m being responsible. This bill is very common sense. It just says ‘let’s be responsible,’ and all of the debate that you’ve heard around guns, it’s a lot of irresponsibility going on, and this is a bill that says ‘we can be responsible.’
“Our children’s lives depend on it.”
She also believes this bill has a chance of getting some Republican support, which it would need to pass the Legislature.
“I even talked to the Speaker of the House about it last Thursday,” she said, “and he was getting ready to read it, but he said in concept it sounds like a good piece of legislation.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
During Thursday’s House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee’s hearing on the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Administration (ATF)’s actions on gun control, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) criticized the Biden administration for trying to take away gun rights.
https://twitter.com/RepBarryMoore/status/1638957015056654336?s=20
“In the last year, we have had 107,000 opioid overdoses,” Moore said. “That (makes opioids) the number one killer of people between the ages of 18 and 45. Based on testimony we’ve been hearing about the open border, those victims are getting younger and younger. If we really care about young people in this country dying, we need to address the opioid crisis instead of trying to come after law-abiding citizens (who own firearms).”
Witnesses in the hearing included Amy Swearer, legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation; Alex Bosco, the founder and inventor of Stabilizing Brace; Matthew Larosiere, partner at Zermay-Larosiere Law Group; and Rob Wilcox, senior director of policy at Everytown for Gun Safety.
The congressman asked Swearer if the gun control measures being proposed would actually stop gun violence.
“Are you aware of any law that could stop gun violence?” he asked. “Is there a law that we could pass in this country that will actually stop murders?”
Swearer said, “Congressman, even if you could pass a law outright banning guns, you’d still have to be able to snap your fingers to make them disappear out of the hands of violent criminals. It would be an impossibility to eliminate gun violence. We can certainly work on getting guns out of the hands of violent criminals and enabling law-abiding citizens to defend themselves with that lethal force, as is their natural and their constitutional right, but to suggest that we can somehow eliminate gun violence — you’re talking about eliminating human nature and the propensity that violent people have to commit crimes.”
Moore said more gun control laws do not result in safer communities.
“I moved to D.C. and I’m here part time, I’ve only been in Congress 24 months, but you guys I feel so much less safe here, and they’re pretty restrictive on firearms, so much less safe here than I do in the hometowns I grew up in and the cities in my state” Moore said. “Because, number one, normally we’re carrying concealed so we’re safe in that respect.
“But just the crime that we’re seeing in the cities where they think they can pass the law to change human morality is just staggering to me. And the statistics simply do not support that approach.”
Alabama @RepBarryMoore fighting for 2A rights at the House ATF hearing today in DC. pic.twitter.com/cc2hgRujyo
— American Firearms Association (@2A_Freedom) March 23, 2023
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee