The Alabama House of Representatives approved a bill that would make possessing a Glock switch a Class C felony.
SB116, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Montgomery, was passed by a vote of 77-23. It now returns to the Senate for final approval before heading to the governor’s desk.
Rep. Philip Ensler, D-Montgomery, has introduced this legislation in the last two legislative sessions.
“I am grateful for the overwhelming, bipartisan support,” Ensler said. “I look forward to the Senate giving the bill its final stamp of approval and this important measure becoming law.”
The legislation would impose penalties from one year and one day to 10 years for possessing any part or combination of parts designed to convert a pistol into a machine gun. An amendment was also added to ensure the law takes effect immediately upon the governor’s signature.
No state law specifically prohibits Glock switches, though they are illegal under federal law. Lawmakers emphasized the impact of these devices, particularly in Birmingham, where gun violence involving machine gun conversion devices has become increasingly common.
Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, thanked Ensler and Barfoot for their efforts but urged the House that there’s more work to be done as far as implementing mentor programs and cracking down on the sale of stolen firearms in the state.
“Right now, I’m begging. I’m begging for help with regard to so many lives being lost, and we have to catch these young people before they get to high school,” Givan said.
The bill gained significant traction following a mass shooting at Birmingham’s Hush Lounge on September 21, which resulted in four deaths and 17 injuries. Givan said that if not for this shooting, SB116 might not have gained as much traction.
“Because of the urgency of now, because of the Hush Lounge killing, that was on the Southside. But just two months before then, there was a shooting, a mass killing of four on the Northside, but it mattered more because it was on the Southside,” Givan said.
Despite bipartisan support and the backing of Gov. Kay Ivey, 23 Republicans voted against the bill and four others abstained. All Democrats supported the bill, along with nearly 50 Republican members.
