Birmingham mayor warns violators after Alabama bans gun conversion devices

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation Wednesday outlawing Glock switches and other gun conversion devices, an approval that comes after a deadly year in which the devices were used in multiple mass shootings.

The devices convert semi-automatic guns to fire like a fully automatic weapon. A bipartisan coalition pushed the Alabama legislation after several mass shootings last year, including the deaths of four people outside a Birmingham nightclub in September.

“While there is a federal ban on these gun conversion devices, we needed a way to empower our own law enforcement here in Alabama to get these illegal and extremely dangerous Glock switches off our streets,” Ivey said in a statement.

Hours after the bill was signed, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin issued a direct warning to what he called the “switch boys” that they will face prosecution.

“We are sending a signal to the switch boys that we are not messing around about this topic,” Woodfin said in a video on social media. In a statement beginning “dear switch boys,” he added that police are “ready to put case on all of y’all.

Woodfin announced a $1,000 award for people who provide information that leads to a credible arrest of someone who possesses a Glock switch.

“These devices only hurt people, particularly innocent people. We had enough of this in 2024,” Woodfin said.

The Birmingham mayor, who lost a brother and nephew in shootings, has expressed frustration over gun violence in his city.

Police say the devices produce a rapid, hard-to-control spray of bullets that increase the number of casualties during a shooting.

The mayors of Alabama’s 10 largest cities also issued a statement thanking Ivey for signing the bill.

Ivey had called for its passage in her State of the State address.

Possessing or selling the devices would be a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The measure takes effect immediately. Alabama joins 23 states that already have laws banning the devices.

Alabama has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the U.S. In 2022, there were 1,278 gun-related deaths in the state, which was the fourth-highest rate in the country, ranking below Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.