In wake of mass shootings, Alabama lawmakers eye ban on Glock switches and public safety bills

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — After a violent year marked by multiple mass shootings in Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and many lawmakers from both parties are backing a proposed ban on so-called Glock switches and other conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns.

Ivey is expected to push that proposal Tuesday as part of a broader package of public safety bills in her State of the State address, pressing Alabama to join nearly two dozen other states that already outlaw such devices.

Communities across the country have seen deadly shootings carried out with the conversion devices, small pieces of metal or plastic, which can be purchased online or made with 3D printers. The devices convert semi-automatic weapons to fully automatic fire, capable of releasing multiple bullets with one squeeze of the trigger. Alabama Democrats have long supported banning the conversion devices, but their bills have failed to win final approval in a Republican-dominated Alabama Legislature historically reluctant to support gun restrictions.

“Governor Ivey supports getting dangerous Glock switches out of the hands of gangs and criminals. Along with this measure, she will unveil several other public safety proposals that will support law enforcement and crack down on crime. She expects the package to have bipartisan support,” Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said.

The conversion devices were used in a September shooting that killed four people outside a Birmingham lounge, police believe. The rapid hard-to-control spray of bullets means more victims and more bystanders wounded or killed, police say. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin called Glock switches “the number one public safety issue in our city and state.”

The devices are banned under federal law and in 23 states, according to anti-violence group Everytown for Gun Safety. Supporters said having a state ban will enable local district attorneys to pursue charges and prosecutions instead of referring the cases to federal prosecutors.

Rep. Phillip Ensler, a Montgomery Democrat, has again filed legislation that would make possession of the devices a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. “These devices, they wreak havoc. We can’t bring lives back, but we can try to save some lives moving forward,” he said.

The state House of Representatives approved Ensler’s bill last year, but the session ended without a vote on it in the Senate. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said he expects it will win final approval this year. However, Senate Rules Chairman Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, cautioned there is lingering opposition.

“It’s not going to be an easy pass,” Waggoner said.

Efforts to ban the devices have had mixed results.

Mississippi and Maryland last year joined the states that have banned the devices. But in Pennsylvania, a bill to ban “multi-burst trigger activators” failed by one vote last year in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives after every Republican and one Democrat voted “no.” In any case, it faced stiff opposition in the GOP-controlled Senate in a state that has been historically protective of gun rights. In addition to Alabama, Utah, Colorado and Virginia are expected to see state bans proposed, according to Everytown.

Alabama has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the U.S. In 2022, there were 1,278 gun-related deaths in Alabama, which was the fourth-highest gun death rate in the country, ranking below Mississippi, Louisiana and New Mexico.

“Americans who live in states with weak gun laws have repeatedly been harmed by the effect of Glock switches,” said Olivia Li, Policy Counsel at Everytown for Gun Safety.

John Commerford, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, noted that possession of the conversion devices is already a felony under federal law, and can carry stiff mandatory sentences when used in a violent crime.

“U.S. Attorneys currently have the tool at their disposal to discourage the misuse of these conversion devices: prosecution,” Commerford said.

The ban on conversion switches is expected to be one of multiple Alabama bills focused on public safety. Others expected to be considered include greater incentives to help local law enforcement agencies with staffing and the use of electronic monitoring to ensure juvenile defendants are complying with bond conditions. Legislation called the “second chance” bill also would allow judges to review the sentences of non-violent offenders sentenced to life in prison under the state’s habitual offender law.

Some Democrats say state lawmakers must do more to stem gun violence. House Democrats have urged the state to bring back the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun. The state ended the requirement in 2023.

“It is time to put the political rhetoric aside and to take meaningful steps to solve the problem,” Ensler said.

While there is bipartisan support for the ban on conversion devices, Republicans, who hold a lopsided majority in both chambers have expressed little appetite for other gun restrictions. “At the end of the day, it’s not the guns it’s the people,” Ledbetter said.