Alabama lawmakers are one step from letting voters decide, at least in theory, whether to make it harder for government to adopt restrictions on firearms.
A proposed constitutional amendment would apply a judicial standard called strict scrutiny to any limits on possessing weapons. The proposal cleared a Senate committee Tuesday. It must pass the full Senate before it goes on a statewide ballot.
Strict scrutiny is a legal term that refers to courts setting the highest standards when deciding whether a law is constitutional. In the case of firearms, that means any restrictions would have to be narrowly tailored and proponents would have to show a compelling reason for the limits.
The bill repeats what the U.S. Supreme Court already requires under recent decisions striking down local weapons bans.