BamaCarry Inc., an organization advocating for gun rights, announced Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against the city of Selma for the detainment and removal of one of its members who carried a gun into a “gun-free zone.”
“This is Alabama—not New York City,” said Linda McKinney, president of BamaCarry. “We don’t tolerate jackbooted government thugs abusing citizens for merely exercising rights protected by the Constitution. The City of Selma has not only overstepped its legal authority—it has stomped on the God-given rights of a peaceful citizen, and we intend to ensure they’re held accountable in a court of law.”
According to the lawsuit, the incident in question occurred on July 3, 2024. The city of Selma on that day hosted a public event along four blocks of Water Street from Broad Street to Sylvan Street, including side streets and the Historic Waterfront Park and Amphitheater. A resident David Blackmon, a member of Bama Carry entered this public event armed with a concealed weapon despite the city designating the area as a gun-free zone. Bama Carry’s lawsuit claims this designation to be arbitrary and unconstitutional.
“This is nothing short of government overreach and a direct attack on the Second Amendment,” McKinney said. “If public officials in Selma believe they can shred the Constitution and face no consequences, they’re in for a rude awakening.”
BamaCarry is seeking immediate injunctive relief to stop “further violations of rights by Selma officials,” along with damages for the affected member. The organization is also demanding that the city revise its policies and provide mandatory training for law enforcement to ensure full compliance with both state law and the United States Constitution.
“This is the line in the sand,” McKinney said. “Every time a government agency illegally targets gun owners, it emboldens other cities to do the same. BamaCarry will not sit back while anti-gun bureaucrats harass our members and ignore the rule of law. We will fight—and we will win.”
This is not the first time Blackmon has made the news over the right to carry firearms in public.
According to a 2018 report from the Selma Times-Journal, Selma police arrested Blackmon outside a city council meeting following a dispute about private security preventing him from bringing a firearm into the council chambers. Selma officials at the time said Blackmon pointed to plainclothes police officers in the council chambers who were armed and told Selma Police Chief Spencer Collier to arrest them for a felony for being armed in the chambers while off duty. Blackmon was charged with disorderly conduct as officers said he failed to follow orders from a law enforcement officer to cease disrupting the meeting.
