Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin on Tuesday Said The refusal of the state to allow cities like Birmingham to implement gun laws has left the city fighting an unfair battle against rising gun violence.

“Gun culture, and gun violence, in our communities continues to rear its head in stupid and reckless ways,” Woodfin said. “At the local level, we're left dangling our hands when it comes to our ability to regulate guns and legal permits. The state of Alabama has chosen to move in a direction where we don't even require a permit, and people can run around with any kind of gun.”

The mayor was referring to the constitutional gun ownership bill signed by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2022. The mayor made the comments Tuesday in the wake of a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning in a gas station parking lot on Third Avenue West, which left one man dead and six others injured. Mayor Woodfin blames “inaction” at the state and federal levels for the recent increase in gun violence.

“No action has been taken at the federal level, the assault weapons ban has expired and not been renewed, and guns aren't the only problem. We have military-style guns on the streets of Birmingham,” he said. “No action has been taken at the federal level, and the state says you don't even need a permit, yet people still turn to 10 of us (the mayor and city council) and we can't even regulate guns.”

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Woodfin also argued that local businesses share some of the blame for the growing problem.

“Since this weekend's incident, our law department has filed a civil injunction against several establishments located at 800 Third Avenue West,” he explained. “I want to put all businesses on notice. We spoke publicly with you about this two weeks ago. We believe in supporting small businesses. Small businesses are the bedrock of our community and a means of generating tax revenue in this community. At the same time, I think it's worth publicly pointing out that small business owners are expected to be responsible for activities that take place on private property or that spill into public spaces and create a public nuisance. Ultimately, they must be held accountable.”

according to According to WBRC, “Birmingham police are investigating 42 homicides, up from 38 during the same period last year. Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said the majority of the homicides so far have occurred around Valentine's Day, when six people were killed in one day.”

Yaffe is a contributing writer for Yellow Hammer News and hosts “The Yaffe Program” weekdays from 9-11 a.m. WhistlerYou can follow us on Twitter @Yaffe