The Alabama Sheriff’s Association has worked on getting plastic pistol permits over the past several months, and the new permits are now available in Covington County, Sheriff Dennis Meeks said.

“Over the years, we have been talking about having a uniform card for the entire state,” Meeks said. “We negotiated with different companies to get the best price and software we could, and now I’m happy to announce that we have a plastic pistol permit.”

Meeks said it will be a colored I.D. and that it includes a photo.

“It is a conceal carry permit,” Meeks said. “And if you have recently purchased a permit and it is paper, you can come back to the sheriff’s department and we will change it to plastic for no charge.”

According to the Alabama Sheriff’s Association, state law requires the Alabama Secretary of State’s office to work in consultation with the Alabama Sheriff’s Association to create a uniform pistol permit for residents of the state of Alabama. The purpose of a pistol permit in the state of Alabama is to provide added layers of security and protection for Alabamians. Further, the purpose of adopting a uniform permit format would be to provide a level of consistency regarding the required information when citizens present their pistol permit in another county other than their county of residence.

The Secretary of State’s Office has worked to develop this uniform standard format in close collaboration with Alabama’s 67 Sheriffs and the Executive Director of the Alabama Sheriff’s Association Bobby Timmons. Sheriff’s departments have already begun implementing the changes and rolling out the new permits as permit holders renew or attain a permit for the first time.