A member of the Alabama State House has been removed from his post as captain of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department because of his political views.

State Representative Shane Stringer, R-Citronelle, is “no longer a captain of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office,” spokeswoman for Sheriff Sam Cochran, a Republican, said on Friday in an email to media.

“Sheriff Sam Cochran made the decisions Wednesday, May 12, due to the different political views of his administration,” spokeswoman Lori Myles said.

Stringer joined Cochran’s staff in 2018, the same year he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives.

Myles later told AL.com that Stringer’s sponsorship of pro-constitutional deferral legislation went against the sheriff’s views on the matter. Stringer also supported legislation prohibiting state and local law enforcement agencies from enforcing new federal gun laws or executive orders, which has also been of concern to law enforcement personnel.

Alabama lawmakers could, during the last day of its legislative session on Monday, vote on a bill creating a constitutional provision in Alabama in which residents would be allowed to carry a concealed pistol without having to obtain a permit or to pay a fee for one. . The legislation has long been fought against by law enforcement, including state sheriffs, who argue that permits are a safety tool for them whenever they do roadside checks, serve a warrant or carry out an arrest.

Stringer, in a press release, said he was “proud to defend the Alabamians’ Second Amendment gun rights despite being fired by Mobile Sheriff Sam Cochran for his position on the matter.

“The Alabamese Second Amendment gun rights are under attack by a liberal federal government that is out of control and even by some factions right here at home,” Stringer said. “After dedicating my life and career to law enforcement, losing a job because I support Alabama gun owners is certainly surprising, but nothing will deter me from standing up for promised constitutional guarantees. to all of us as US citizens.

He said he believes local sheriffs oppose the constitutional porterage law because they depend on the fees the gun licensing process generates for their offices.

“The US Constitution does not say that you have the right to keep and bear guns as long as you pay what amounts to a gun tax in the form of license fees,” Stringer said. “He says you have the right to keep and carry firearms … period.”

Myles said Stringer has been appointed captain and will be out of the sheriff’s department by the end of the month.

“I think they agreed to disagree,” Myles said of the two. “But when you work for a company, you have to follow the philosophies and the rules of the company, especially when you are on a staff where everyone responds to the sheriff. We must be in agreement.

Stringer is a former Satsuma Police Chief.

Myles added, “Someone would be a great employee. He’s been in law enforcement. But at the end of this month, he will end his career with us.

This story was updated at 10:42 a.m. on May 14, 2021, with comments from a spokesperson for the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department. It was also updated at 12:55 p.m. to include comments from Rep. Shane Stringer.